Sam Hartman, Audric Estime break down each other's roles in Notre Dame's pro-style offense

When Sam Hartman was at Wake Forest, he ran an offense known for RPOs as part of the slow mesh system. He spent five years in the scheme, but chose to enter the transfer portal and head to Notre Dame so he could play in a pro-style offense.

Through one game, he looked pretty comfortable.

Hartman put together an impressive debut for the Fighting Irish on Saturday, throwing for 266 yards and tying a Notre Dame record for a debut with four touchdowns in en route to a 42-3 victory over Navy. He completed 19 of his 23 pass attempts and appeared as if he’d been in Gerad Parker’s scheme his entire career.

It also helps to have a strong offensive line and a running back like Hartman has never had before.

“It really starts up front,” Hartman told NBC’s Zora Stephenson after the game. “You have two of the best tackles in the country, an unbelievable center, two guards that are young that came out and played a great first game. And then, outside. Those guys, they made waves when they needed to. Then you look at the tight end room, they did a great job handling a lot of pressure on the outside.

“Running backs, I mean, Audric Estime’s a load. I’ve never seen somebody run the ball like he runs the ball. It’s great to have that in our arsenal.”

Estime is one of Notre Dame’s top returners from last year, anchoring the running game with 920 yards as a sophomore. He picked up right where he left off Saturday, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown against Navy.

While Hartman gave credit to Estime for his role in the offense, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound running back said his quarterback has just as much to do with the unit’s success.

“He opens up a lot,” Estime said of Hartman. “On and off the field, Sam’s a great guy. He’s a great leader, he’s a very smart guy, he’s a guy that’s played a lot of football, he’s a guy that we all rally around. He’s a great leader for us.”

The running game helped set the table early for Notre Dame against Navy, scoring the game’s first two touchdowns. That’s when Parker changed things up and let Sam Hartman be Sam Hartman. It was an impressive showing for the highly touted transfer — one he will look to build on next week against Tennessee State.