Sam Hartman

Samuel Hartman (born July 29, 1999) is an American professional football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Hartman played five seasons of college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, setting several school records and finishing as the all-time passing touchdowns leader in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history. He played with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2023 before signing with the Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2024.

Early life Hartman was born on July 29, 1999, in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a sophomore and junior at Davidson Day School in Davidson, North Carolina, Hartman threw for 6,388 passing yards and 69 touchdowns as a team captain at quarterback, being named first-team all-state as a junior and was given the Charlotte Observer player of the week award four times.

He transferred to Oceanside Collegiate Academy in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, for his senior season and led them to a 7–3 record while throwing for 3,093 yards passing and 29 touchdowns, in addition to nine rushing scores. Hartman was rated the No. 12 pro-style passer in the class of 2018 by 247Sports.com and was a three-star recruit. He was featured in the documentary series QB1: Beyond the Lights for his senior season.

College career Wake Forest (2018–2022)

2018 season

Hartman accepted a scholarship offer from Wake Forest University to play for the Demon Deacons. He was named the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week, PFN National Offensive Player of the Week, Maxwell Award Player of the Week, and CFPA national performer of the week. He led them to an overall record of 8–5 and to a win in the Gasparilla Bowl, earning MVP honors in the game and being the first person in school history to win two bowl MVP honors. He was named the winner of the Brian Piccolo Award for the "most courageous" player in the ACC, as Hartman had suffered from Paget–Schroetter disease and had to undergo surgery early in the season, but only missed one game despite the illness. He was a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and a semifinalist for Davey O'Brien Award. On August 26, 2023, Hartman started his first game for Notre Dame playing against Navy in Dublin, Ireland. He completed 19 of 23 pass attempts for 251 yards and four touchdowns, tying a program record for touchdown passes in a player's debut. Following the season, Hartman opted out of the Sun Bowl in order to begin preparing for the 2024 NFL draft.

Statistics

Professional career

Hartman signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He was also selected by the Birmingham Stallions in the ninth round of the 2024 UFL draft in July. Hartman was waived by the Commanders on August 27, 2024, and joined their practice squad the following day. Hartman was promoted to the active roster on September 7, following an injury to backup Marcus Mariota. He was released from the active roster on October 11, signing with the practice squad the following day.

On January 28, 2025, Hartman signed a reserve/future contract with the Commanders. He was waived on August 26, 2025, and signed with their practice squad the following day. Hartman was promoted to the active roster on December 24, 2025. He was released on August 30, 2026, and re-signed to their practice squad the following day.