Quarterback Sam Hartman has been through this plenty of times, but his first fall camp at Notre Dame is quite different. In a short period of time, Hartman has emerged as the leader of the Fighting Irish offense.
Whether he has a C on his chest or not, the starting quarterback has to be the leader of the offense on and off the field. For Hartman, it didn't happen immediately. He enters fall camp in a different situation than he did in the spring when he was in the midst of a quarterback battle with Tyler Buchner.
With Buchner off to Alabama after losing the quarterback battle, Hartman is the clear top dog in the locker room. He entered fall camp as the unquestioned leader of the Irish offense. That has allowed him to connect with his teammates in a way he couldn't in the spring.
"I've talked with Sam about, it's hard to truly lead when you're in a quarterback battle to be the leader," head coach Marcus Freeman explained following the opening of fall camp. "What you've seen from the time that he's realized he's the quarterback is his leadership amongst that offensive unit has continued to just excel.
When there is a quarterback battle it can be challenging for teammates to truly invested in one player. With Hartman now the the. clear leader, his teammates know exactly who will be leading them through what will be a challenging path to the team's ultimate goals.
"What that creates is what we call that unit strength, and it's that buy-in, it's that emotional factor that I don't want to let this guy down," explained Freeman. "I don't want to let this leader down. I see that amongst the offense."
Hartman is new to Notre Dame, but this is a relatively experienced football team that he is now part of. The Wake Forest transfer comes in as a highly accomplished quarterback that ranks in the Top 20 all time in passing yards (12,967) and passing touchdowns (110).
He was also a three-time captain for the Deacons, so he knows a thing or two about being a leader. It has allowed him to make a smooth transition into the Irish program. Hartman has fit right in with a team that has quickly connected on a level that is needed to reach its goals.
"I said this probably two weeks ago, in my two years here, man, this is maybe the closest group of players I've seen, and you can see it," Freeman observed. "There's different examples as a head coach, you can just watch and see it, and that's important when you have that emotional bond.
“That's when great things really are achieved," continued the second-year head coach. "We have to continue to create that amongst our team, amongst our offense, amongst our defense. There has to be an emotional bond amongst these group of men that they don't want to let each other down.”
Notre Dame is hoping that adding a player with Hartman's personality, leadership experience and production can be the final ingredient needed for the Irish to make a big jump this season.
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