“In the end, we're all dead men. Sadly, we cannot choose how, or when. But what we can choose is how we decide to meet that end, so we are remembered forever as men.”
The line from the 2000 film The Gladiator is tattooed on Sam Hartman’s left leg, a reminder to the 24-year-old quarterback to never forget his mission of being “the man in the arena.”
His final chapter, though, as a Notre Dame QB will come outside of the arena, so to speak, and as a spectator, as the former Wake Forest transfer will opt out of 16th-ranked ND’s Dec. 29 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl matchup with No. 19 Oregon State.
He made the announcement, or at least implied it, in a video Monday on Instagram after initially alluding on Senior Day (Nov. 18) after a 45-7 rout of his former team that he was all in for Notre Dame’s then-unknown postseason offering. An ND spokesperson confirmed Hartman's intentions to skip the bowl game.
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That moves sophomore Steve Angeli up to the top spot on the Notre Dame quarterback depth chart, with freshman Kenny Minchey backing him up. It will be the first career start for Angeli, who threw for 272 yards and four TDs with one interception (19-of-25) over seven cameos this season for the Irish (9-3).
The Beavers (8-4) are ranked 35th nationally in total defense and have faced some of the nation’s top quarterbacks this season, including Heisman Trophy finalists Michael Penix Jr. of Washington and Bo Nix of Oregon. Oregon State, though like Notre Dame, has had significant opt-outs on both side of the ball.
Oregon State also had to reshuffle its QB depth chart with senior starter DJ Uiagalelei and freshman backup Aidan Chiles already in the transfer portal.
OSU interim head coach Kefense Hynson confirmed Dec. 4 during a Zoom call with the media that third-stringer Ben Gulbranson is now at the top of the Beavers’ QB depth chart for the Sun Bowl. He threw just one pass — and completed it — in game action in 2023. However, the 6-3, 215-pound redshirt sophomore has plenty of experience.
He played in 10 games and started eight due to injuries in 2022, and the Newberry Park, Calif., product went 7-1 as a starter last season and was named MVP of the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl. He completed 121 of 194 pass attempts for 1,455 yards and nine TDs with five interceptions in 2022. He also rushed for 52 net yards and five scores.
Kickoff at the sold-out Sun Bowl on Dec. 29 is 2 p.m. EST, with CBS broadcasting the game.
Hartman delivered the numbers overall during his 12-game stint at Notre Dame, but not the desired storybook storyline of at least a deep run for a College Football Playoff spot.
That the Irish were eliminated from contention on Oct. 7 with a humbling 33-20 loss at Louisville could be chalked up to shortcomings beyond Hartman’s own struggles — a young and injured wide receiver corps, a new offensive coordinator in Gerad Parker with a steep learning curve, growing pains on the offensive line among them.
From a statistical standpoint, though, Hartman’s 159.5 pass-efficiency rating placed him 16th nationally heading into bowl season, the highest finish by a Notre Dame QB in that statistical category since Jimmy Clausen’s 161.42 landed him third nationally at the end of the 2009 season.
Hartman completed 191 of 301 pass attempts for 2,689 yards and 24 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He ran for 123 net yards on 45 attempts with three rushing TDs, the second-most on the team behind running back Audric Estimé’s massive school-record total of 18.
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