Is Sam Hartman still a Sophomore? Notre Dame QB's collegiate career explored
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman is not a sophomore in college football. The 24-year-old already has five years of experience playing with the NCAA. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic and him redshirting one season, he is still eligible to play for Notre Dame in the sixth season of his collegiate career.
Coming out of high school, Hartman was considered a three-start recruit by many in the recruiting class of 2018. When he joined Wake Forest, he was named the team's starting quarterback in his freshman season. He played in nine games in 2018, but his season ended with an unfortunate injury against Syracuse.
The player returned as a sophomore in 2019, but after an intense QB1 battle in training camp, he was named as the backup to Jamie Newman. He made an appearance in only four games that season, which led to him redshirting his sophomore year. He restored his starting QB role as a redshirt sophomore in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the extensive disruption of college football games and the NCAA decided to nullify the 2020 season and not count it as a part of any player's eligibility.
Thus, the QB had another redshirt sophomore year in 2021. This is also the reason why he is allowed to play for Notre Dame despite it being his sixth season.
After five seasons in Wake Forest, Sam Hartman decided that he wanted to play his final year of college with Notre Dame. He transferred in January 2023 and was immediately named as the starting QB for the team.
The 24-year-old has already made a name for himself among Fighting Irish fans, and they now expect him to lead Notre Dame to a great season ahead, and possibly, a college football playoff berth.
Sam Hartman: Wake Forest stats and records
During his true freshman season, the quarterback racked up 1,984 passing yards and 16 passing touchdowns for his team. But his best season in Wake Forest was during their 2021 campaign.
That season, the 24-year-old led the Demon Deacons to an eight-game winning streak in the beginning, which was the program's best start in history.
Wake Forest went on to record an 11-3 overall season, and Sam Hartman put up several single-season program records. He finished the 2021 campaign with an impressive 4,228 passing yards and 39 passing touchdowns.