QB Sam Hartman Adjusting to Nuances of Notre Dame's Offense
Sam Hartman was going to be in a new offense this spring regardless of his decision to transfer or head to the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder’s decision to transfer to Notre Dame was well-documented and Hartman is now five practices into his one-year career with the Fighting Irish, but also learning a new offense under Gerad Parker.
“I think we're still so on the ground levels for me,” Hartman said on Friday morning. “My knowledge of the offense I'm looking forward to growing it as practice goes on. I feel like I learn something or gain something every practice, every rep. I think everything about it is up front and right there for you. And when you have the play, ‘OK, this is what I'm doing with the ball.’ You know what the guys’ routes are.”
Learning a new offense is never easy and Hartman has more on his plate as he’s still adjusting to a few aspects of quarterback play he was never asked to do at Wake Forest.
“He’s getting used to the different tempos,” explained Notre Dame quarterback coach Gino Guidguli. “He’s used to going 100 mph at Wake Forest. He’s used to being in shotgun every single play. Some of the things like breaking the huddle, getting in the huddle, getting under center - some of that has been a little bit of an adjustment for him, but he’s embracing it. He’s a worker and he’s going to help us win a lot of games.”
Hartman echoed Guidugli’s thoughts as the adjustment to a huddle and taking snaps under center is something he’s really had to focus on this spring.
“I really never did it. The only time we did it was victory formation, so those are pretty low-stake center-quarterback exchanges. It’s a learning curve for me. Gino has been great with working with me before and after practice. And on our off days, I’ve been working with the backs and the center.
“It’s going to come with time. It’s a lot of reps and rhythm and getting a feel for which way is forward and backward. It’s been cool. It’s a different part of the game I haven’t really experienced.”
And while there is a quarterback competition, Hartman and Tyler Buchner have a healthy relationship and have embraced learning from each other.
“I feel like Tyler has a mastery at it, so it’s been fun to learn and watch him,” Hartman said of the new nuances he’s learning. “He’s a lot more smooth than I and admittingly he’s a lot better athlete than I am as well. He’s kind of got me on a lot of those. I watch his footwork every time.”
When it comes to scheme and making plays, Hartman admits he’s still learning where to have his eyes and finding the right progressions, but it’s coming along with each practice.
“It's complex, in the way that we're designing it, but simple in the way that we need to read and work through it,” Hartman said of the Irish offense. “It kind of gives you a fighting chance against Coach (Al) Golden and his array of defenses that you’ve got to go against. If you have a general idea of the coverage, you know your read and your reactions, and you just try and roll through it.”
Hartman also took part in Notre Dame’s Pro Day last week. It was a worthwhile decision as he was able to throw with NFL scouts in the building and get some quality work in.
“It was fun to get out and throw the ball to a Notre Dame legend or whatever you want to call it, so it was good,” said Hartman. “Mike (Mayer), when we talked, it felt like we had played together before, but we never knew each other before that.
“I'm not sure of the full specification, but it was all kind of under an umbrella of one day. So yeah, it's kind of like one practice, I would say. That's how we treated it.”
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