Let’s not buy into the Sam Hartman hype just yet

When did Hartman’s inconsistency become such a big problem?

Especially in the past couple of years, Wake Forest has had moments where it’s been ranked as one of the top college football teams in the nation. Entering Week 10 of their 2021 campaign, the Deacons were 8-0 and placed ninth in the CFP poll—their highest ranking ever. However, that all changed once they faced North Carolina.

The Tar Heels, unlike the Deacs, had established themselves as a rather mediocre squad, sitting at a far more disappointing record of 4-4. Yet that visible inferiority didn’t keep Hartman from throwing two interceptions in what was ultimately a 58-55 loss. This may not sound like the end of the world on its own, but upon learning that he had previously only thrown three all season, the optics on the number look a tad worse.

Combining that with a completion percentage of 49% (which was then his lowest of the season by a convincing margin), it can’t be denied that Hartman’s passing play was visibly worse once Wake’s year had really gotten cooking.

But come on, that’s just one game from the better part of two years ago, and it still saw him be responsible for a total of seven touchdowns on the day. With all that in mind, shouldn’t we give the guy a bit of a break? Normally I’d say yes. There’s only one problem, though—it wasn’t just one game. In fact, we saw the inconsistency creep back around just a couple of weeks later against Clemson.

After beating NC State, Wake Forest had returned to the CFP’s top 10, and had to face a defensive-minded Tigers team in Death Valley. If one was not aware of their defensive prowess, they surely witnessed it when Sam Hartman finished the 48-27 loss with only one touchdown to his name. It ended up being his only game all season to see such an underwhelming display.

And then, just a couple of more weeks after that, the Deacs were once again demolished, this time by the Pittsburgh Panthers in the ACC championship (it was Wake’s first appearance in the game since 2006). Hartman threw a whopping four interceptions en route to the 45-21 final—the most he would throw in a game all year.

I wish I could say that these issues didn’t follow him into 2022, but that would simply be a lie, as it was last season’s trip to Louisville that resulted in what is possibly Hartman’s sorriest performance of recent memory.