32 NOV. 18, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
GAME PREVIEW: WAKE FOREST
BY JACK SOBLE
A
fter beating Missouri in the Gas-
parilla Bowl Dec. 23 in Tampa,
Fla., an emotional Sam Hart-
man stood at midfield with his
teammates behind him.
Hartman, then Wake Forest's quar-
terback, had announced a little over a
month prior that the 2022 season was
his last in Winston-Salem, N.C. With
longtime head coach Dave Clawson
looking on and smiling, Hartman deliv-
ered his last speech as a Demon Deacon.
"I'm fighting the tears back for this
one," Hartman said. "To my teammates,
everyone past, present, it's been incred-
ible. To all my teammates, I love you
guys."
The seasons Hartman spent at Wake
Forest meant a lot to him, and his five-
year tenure meant a lot to the Demon
Deacons. Hartman helped put Wake
Forest back on the map, winning three
bowl games and leading the Deacs to the
2021 ACC Championship Game — their
first appearance in it in 15 years.
In Week 12, Hartman will face his for-
mer team for the first time in a golden
helmet. Notre Dame hosts a Wake Forest
squad at 3:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 18, in a
game that will also be Hartman's last at
Notre Dame Stadium.
'THIS IS WHERE WE ARE
RIGHT NOW'
By the time Wake Forest's bowl game
was set, Hartman made it known that
he would be entering either the transfer
portal or the 2023 NFL Draft. If it was
the former, most assumed any move
would come with a large sum of name,
FAMILIAR FACES
Sam Hartman renews acquaintances
with his former Demon Deacons teammates
