Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 SEPT. 30, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME It's rare when an accomplished incoming trans- fer quarterback not only lives up to the fierce hype and lofty expectations that come with him, but actually exceeds them. But that's exactly what graduate student signal- caller Sam Hartman has done since arriving at Notre Dame in January after five years at Wake Forest. Through the first four games this season, Hart- man led the NCAA with 13 touchdown passes and was third in the country in passing efficiency with a 217.8 rating. Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local media recently had a chance to meet with Hartman and asked him about his experiences so far at Notre Dame, his relationship with Irish head coach Mar- cus Freeman and his on-field demeanor. BGI: How would you describe Coach Freeman? Hartman: "His No. 1 thing is consistency every single day. I know anytime I see Coach Freeman what I'm going to get and that's huge. In this day and age, it's really hard to know what's real and what's fake." BGI: What does that consistency mean to you and the team? Hartman: "As a head coach to be in the spot- light that he's in, with the pressure that's put on him, it would be very easy for him to come in and be all riled up or be tired from his six kids. But he shows up every single day and is as consistent as anyone I have ever seen. And on the flip side, he always shows appreciation for our hard work and what we do for him." BGI: There is a big difference between the 31,000-seat stadium at Wake Forest you once played in and the 78,000-seat venue here; what have you noticed? Hartman: "Post-game is probably the coolest part for us. Sometimes you can be out there and not even realize until the game is over when you look up and the entire student section is still here. The entire fan base is still here. We really are excited and appreciative of the support we have." BGI: You're always a calm and collected person and player, but when you hit a big play on the field you don't hold back your celebration; what goes into that? Hartman: "The celebration is just kind of the realization that those moments don't happen too often, a lot of work goes into what our team goes out there and does. And a lot of it is part of our culture. As an offensive unit and as a defensive unit as well, you can see on the tape the pure joy and happiness it brings to make a big play." BGI: It's been said this season that you throw the best deep ball in the country; what goes into that? Hartman: "Those plays are not quick hitters, they're deeper throws so guys have to get down the field. A lot of people can go back there and throw the ball really far. Doing it with accuracy and doing it with the guys around you, that's the key." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … GRADUATE STUDENT QUARTERBACK SAM HARTMAN Rushing Success Makes It Deland McCullough By Todd D. Burlage With every Notre Dame position group performing at a high level through the early part of the season, choosing one assistant coach to recognize was difficult. But given the success, depth and promise the Irish tailbacks are demonstrating, running backs coach Deland McCullough gets the nod. Let's start with the bell cow of this unit, Audric Estimé. Through four games, the junior led the nation with 521 rushing yards and ranked second nationally in rushing yards per game with 130.2. He was also third nationally with an average of 8.27 yards per carry. All are impressive numbers indeed, but Estimé is only one piece of the Irish equation at tailback. McCullough isn't shy to go deep down his positional depth chart, and he's being rewarded with great work from some younger guys — sophomores Gi'Bran Payne and Jadarian Price, along with freshman Jeremiyah Love. Doom and gloom surrounded the Irish tailback situation when junior-to-be Logan Diggs — Notre Dame's second-leading rusher from 2022 — unexpect- edly transferred to LSU in May. But McCullough stayed the course and fielded a unit that averaged 204.5 yards per game and 5.88 yards per carry, which ranked 13th in the nation, during the Irish's 4-0 start. Again, there are a lot of good choices in this most valuable assistant coach debate. But given that Notre Dame is delivering big time on the run-first approach that head coach Marcus Freeman insists on building his offense around, McCullough is the best choice in this debate. Mike Mickens Has The Cornerbacks Playing Great By Jack Soble Notre Dame plays man coverage on third and fourth down more than almost anyone else in the country. It blitzes on passing downs more than almost anyone else in the country. And it has, judging by opponent yards per attempt, the 12th-best pass defense in the country. That's a credit to cornerbacks coach and defensive pass- ing game coordinator Mike Mickens, one of the longer- tenured Notre Dame assistants, who has his group playing at an extremely high level through four games in 2023. Mickens recruited and signed three of the four cor- nerbacks in Notre Dame's rotation, with the only excep- tion being graduate student Cam Hart. However, he has helped develop Hart from a former three-star wide re- ceiver prospect who had missed most of his freshman season with a shoulder injury into a bona fide NFL prospect and a captain. Benjamin Morrison is only a sophomore, but most see him as a top-five cor- nerback in the country. He was a coveted recruit, but not that coveted — the On3 Industry Ranking had him as the No. 37 cornerback and No. 342 overall player in the country. Identifying and signing Morrison, then seeing him turn into a star, is a credit to Mickens' scouting, recruiting and development. Sophomore Jaden Mickey and freshman Christian Gray have played plenty this season and look like future home-grown starters, too. Mickens has been at Notre Dame since 2020, and he was promoted to defensive passing game coordinator before this season. That move looks like it's paying off for Freeman and company. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO'S BEEN NOTRE DAME'S MOST IMPACTFUL POSITION COACH SO FAR? Hartman ranked third in the country in passing efficiency with a 217.8 rating through four games. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER McCullough Mickens