Alright, let’s talk about tracking the Notre Dame quarterback situation in 2023. It was something I found myself keeping tabs on quite a bit last year, mostly out of curiosity.
It all started when I kept hearing buzz about this transfer, Sam Hartman, coming over from Wake Forest. The chatter was loud, you know? Breaking records, tons of experience, supposed to be the guy to elevate the offense. So, naturally, I thought, “Okay, let’s see what this is all about.”
My first step was just tuning into the early games. Simple as that. I wanted to see with my own eyes if the hype was real. And honestly? Early on, it kind of looked like it was. Against Navy, Tennessee State… the offense looked explosive. Hartman was slinging it, touchdowns were piling up. I remember thinking, “Wow, they might actually have something special here.”
But then, you know how seasons go. The schedule got tougher. Games against teams like Ohio State, Louisville, Clemson rolled around. That’s when I really started paying closer attention. It wasn’t just about watching highlights anymore; I was watching how he, and the offense, handled pressure.
And that’s where my perspective started to shift a bit. It wasn’t like he suddenly became bad, not at all. The guy still made some incredible throws. But things felt… harder. More challenging. The easy touchdowns weren’t quite as easy. I started noticing more pressure, maybe some decision-making under duress that wasn’t perfect. Saw some costly interceptions creep in during those big moments.
I specifically recall watching the Clemson game and thinking, “This feels different from September.” The defense was tough, sure, but it felt like the magic wasn’t quite there in the same way. It seemed like a grind.
Then there was the whole backup situation. You’d see Steve Angeli come in sometimes, maybe late in games or for a series. He looked competent, managed the game okay when he got his chances. But it was pretty clear the whole season was built around Hartman being the main man for that one-year push.
So, looking back on how I followed it, my process was basically this:
- Got pulled in by the massive preseason hype surrounding Hartman.
- Watched the early games, felt the excitement, thought it could be huge.
- Started analyzing more critically during the tougher mid-season stretch.
- Noticed the struggles against top-tier defenses and the mounting pressure.
- Saw Angeli get limited snaps, confirming the reliance on Hartman.
- Ended the season feeling like Hartman was definitely good, a clear upgrade, but maybe the expectations set by the initial hype were just a bit too high for what materialized against the very best opponents.
It wasn’t a disappointment, really. He had a statistically strong year. But following the journey from that initial overwhelming buzz to the reality of playing tough teams week in and week out was the interesting part for me. It just showed that experience and stats elsewhere don’t always translate perfectly, especially when the pressure ramps up in critical games. It was a solid season for the QB spot, but not quite the transformative, playoff-guaranteeing leap some had hoped for back in August. That was my main takeaway after keeping an eye on it all year.
