ESPN stretched the rules with [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] and [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] when they included him in as one of their top newcomers in 2023.
Instead of just ranking the true freshman, Tom VanHaaren opted to include transfers in his list of top 50 newcomers and the Irish scored big with Hartman.
VanHaaren ranked the transfer as the second most impactful newcomer, behind athlete Travis Hunter following his head coach Deion Sanders to Colorado. On Hartman, ESPN sees the move as perfect timing as “the Irish were searching for stability at the position.”
That’s exactly how many of us felt about Hartman joining the program. He gives Notre Dame a difference maker at the position, something that the Irish have not had in a long time (Yes, [autotag]Ian Book[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Coan[/autotag] were good, but not nearly as good as Hartman is.)
The Sam Hartman – Chris Tyree connection continues to strengthen.
Notre Dame wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey has been a stickler for route detail in fall camp, too. He coaches up Tyree after the catch.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) August 7, 2023
Unfortunately, if you continue to scroll down the list, there were a few misses the Notre Dame had on the recruiting trail as VanHaaren also names safety Peyton Bowen, wide receiver Carnell Tate and running back Dylan Edwards as some true freshman who could make big impacts. Bowen and Edwards were once committed to the Irish while Tate didn’t, he was considered a Notre Dame lean at one point in his recruitment.
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