Dave Clawson critical of Notre Dame love for Sam Hartman: 'You only dated him for a couple of months'

Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson had a fascinating response regarding the love Notre Dame showed Sam Hartman during his final home game with the Irish.

As irony would have it, the Demon Deacons were in town to see their former quarterback play his final home game of his collegiate career. It was a unique situation, as Hartman’s former squad came to town to face Notre Dame.

Of course, the Fighting Irish honored Hartman and their other seniors throughout the game. Clawson spoke this week about the love-fest for his former quarterback, and explained the oddness of the entire situation.

“That’s reality, and there’s no point in complaining about it. You know, we saw it last week in South Bend. Here’s a guy that we recruited, and we developed. You know, they’re putting a video on him saying, ‘We will always love you.’ Like, you only dated him for a couple of months. It can’t be love. We’re the ones that love him. We had five years with him. You rented him for a season,” Clawson said. “They bought him and rented him for a year, and now they love him.

“When that video played, it’s just like, ‘Holy cow, this is where college football is.’ … It is what it is. Sam and I had a great discussion before the game and after the game, and I love the young man. I really do. I don’t blame him at all for what he did. I mean, you can’t — that’s the system now. For him to have the opportunity to have that experience, and make that type of money in one year, who can fault him.”

At least there’s no hard feelings between Clawson and Hartman. The Demon Deacons leader recognizes that it was the choice the quarterback had to make, even if it stung Wake Forest to lose their star quarterback.

Nevertheless, Hartman has made a tremendous impact on the Fighting Irish. During the 2023 season, the former Wake Forest quarterback has amassed 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

That includes throwing four touchdowns against the Demon Deacons in Week 12 — the third time he’s accomplished that feat in 2023.

Sam Hartman has love for Wake Forest and Dave Clawson, but he’s focusing on finish strong with the Fighting Irish, with a game against Stanford to finish out the regular season, and then waiting to see where Notre Dame ends up for bowl season in the coming weeks.