Marcus Freeman reveals his transfer pitch to Sam Hartman, what he tells prospective recruits

Sam Hartman has reinvigorated the Notre Dame offense. The Wake Forest transfer looks more than comfortable in the Fighting Irish’s pro style scheme after five years in the slow mesh in Winston-Salem, and he has Notre Dame in the top 10 entering a pivotal matchup with Ohio State on Saturday.

Hartman’s decision to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer helped lead him to South Bend under second-year head coach Marcus Freeman. When it came to the recruiting pitch, Freeman said it was a two-way street.

One of Hartman’s top priorities with his next program was to find a pro-style offense to help boost his NFL Draft stock. He left Wake Forest as the ACC’s all-time leading touchdown passer, but he wanted a change of scenery from a scheme standpoint. The next step was figuring out how Hartman fit in, and it’s safe to say it’s working out well.

“I think we both kind of were recruiting each other,” Freeman said on The Pat McAfee Show Friday. “And really seeing, is this the right fit for him and was this program the right fit to really bring in a guy like Sam Hartman and to really both get the best of what we’re looking for? And so, the things that we talked about was, ‘What do you want? Why are you in the transfer portal? What do you want?’

“A lot had to do with being in a pro-style type offense and playing on a stage like this. This is what it’s all about. It’s been great since this happened, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does tomorrow night.”

Marcus Freeman on the selling points of Notre Dame: ‘This is such a special place’

Freeman has found plenty of success as a recruiter since taking over at Notre Dame. Last year, the Fighting Irish ranked No. 10 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking and jumped to the No. 9-ranked group from the 2024 cycle after some massive commitments this week.

As for his selling point, it’s two-fold. Of course, the football component is huge considering Notre Dame’s stature in college football and its national schedule as an independent team. The education is just as important, though, and Freeman takes great pride in the Notre Dame network.

As a result, football players have plenty of opportunities both on and off the field.

“We talk about, No. 1, it’s about football,” Freeman said. “These young people choose to come to a place like this because they believe they can win national championships and be developed by the best. We don’t shy away from that. No. 2, we talk about what the education provides for them.

“This is such a special place, a special network that truly will do amazing things for you once you get done with it. So we really say, ‘Hey, anything you want can be accomplished when you come to a place like Notre Dame.'”