Joel Klatt explains how Sam Hartman's Week 0 performance impacts Notre Dame's ceiling

Notre Dame‘s Sam Hartman starred in his debut with the Irish, defeating Navy 42-3 on a national stage, and they’ve been the talk of college football ever since their stellar showcase. Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt broke down Hartman’s performance, and revealed how it changed his outlook on the Fighting Irish for the rest of the 2023 season.

“When I saw Sam Hartman, I immediately thought, ‘Boy, his wide receiver crew is a lot better. Boy, this run game is a lot better.’ Why? Because Hartman can control the game,” Klatt said on Monday. “Like, you have an adult at quarterback now who can make the throws. The throws are accurate, they’re on time, there’s yard after the catch out there.

“All of the sudden now, the length and speed of the wide receiving corps — which was not accentuated in previous seasons — all of a sudden, it’s highlighted because you have a real quarterback now.”

Hartman finished the contest an efficient 19-for-23 through the air for 251 yards and four touchdowns. His 97.9 QBR is the most of any quarterback during the Week 0 slate.

“For me — this is not an overreaction, there are things that they can get better at. I don’t know exactly what their defense is going to be — their ceiling is a lot higher now. Still a really tough schedule. … They still have USC, still have Ohio State, still have Clemson.

“You can’t just beat down Navy with a great running game and a veteran quarterback and all of a sudden I’m jumping on your bandwagon to be a CFP contender. However, these three games become more interesting.”

Because of Notre Dame’s hot start to the season, questions are going to be shifted to the other side of the ball when it comes to the Irish’s marquee matchups this season.

Before, Klatt wasn’t as high on the Irish in the preseason, and now he’s giving them a chance win their three toughest games, which are all against preseason top-10 teams. After a strong season-opening performance for the Irish, it’s now on the rest of the field to figure out their preseason problems, whether that be the QB battle for Ohio State or USC’s need for an improved defense.

If Notre Dame can win at least two of those three games — which is easier said than done — heading back to the College Football Playoff is a real possibility for Marcus Freeman’s group in 2023. Hartman has the capabilities to take his team that far, but the season will be decided by those specific matchups.