Notre Dame CB Cam Hart announces return for graduate season in 2023
Notre Dame will have a multi-year starting cornerback return for the 2023 season. Senior Cam Hart, a starter since 2021, announced Tuesday he is coming back for a graduate year in 2023.
Hart has 25 tackles (3 for loss) and 4 passes broken up in 11 games (10 starts) this season. He was Notre Dame’s leader in defensive snaps played heading into the regular-season finale at USC, but missed the game due to a shoulder injury that will also prevent him from playing in Notre Dame’s to-be-determined bowl game. He was seen wearing a sling on the field before the Irish’s loss to the Trojans.
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“I believe my time here isn’t necessarily complete,” Hart said in his announcement. “Choosing to attend the University of Notre Dame has been the best decision I’ve ever made in my entire life. In light of that, I’ve decided to return for a fifth season and look forward to taking the field with my brothers in 2023.”
Hart has battled shoulder issues before. He had shoulder surgery in 2019 and again after the 2021 season.
The 6-2½, 198-pound Hart has started 20 games over the last two seasons. He has 70 tackles (7 for loss), 13 passes broken up and 2 interceptions in his career. Opposing quarterbacks have completed just 49.6 percent of the passes thrown at him over the past three years, per Pro Football Focus. He has allowed 22 catches on 44 targets for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.
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An inclusion in Notre Dame’s Senior Day ceremony before the 44-0 win over Boston College Nov. 19 indicated Hart was considering turning pro. He was not in the top 10 players in ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest cornerback rankings, nor was he part of the six who “just missed” inclusion. Kiper last updated those rankings Nov. 3.
Hart has eligibility through the 2024 season. He redshirted as a freshman in 2019 and has the COVID-19 bonus season that was given to all 2020 FBS players. Notre Dame signed him as a wide receiver out of Olney (Md.) Good Counsel High School, but moved him to cornerback midway through the 2019 season.
