Former Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman Calls NIL a ‘Slippery Slope,’ Cautions CFB Players

Adam WellsApril 13, 2024

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Even though most analysts would agree NIL rules allowing college athletes to make money is fair, former Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman believes there are some drawbacks to the policy.

Speaking to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Hartman called NIL “a slippery slope” and urged players to be astute when making decisions that impact their future:

“There’s certain circumstances where it’s used really well, and then sometimes I think it’s just misconstrued for guys to kind of jump ship and say, ‘Hey, there’s a little bit of money getting flashed at me right here. I’m going to go do this.’ And then that money’s not as much as some people might think it might be.”

Hartman certainly benefited from the NCAA’s decision to adopt an NIL policy in 2021. He had a $1.2 million valuation last season after transferring from Wake Forest to Notre Dame.

Pryor noted Hartman’s decision to play for a prominent national program like Notre Dame helped him score deals with Google, Under Armour, Beats by Dre, Dove, Dollar Shave Club and Mizzen+Main.

Speaking to Andy Staples of On3.com earlier this year (h/t Nick Schultz of On3.com), Hartman said there is some risk of disrupting team chemistry and the locker room environment if players start trying to focus on how much money they are making compared to others on the roster:

“As leaders in the locker room and at Wake and Notre Dame, [it] was like, ‘Guys, the only way to this falls apart is people start pocket-watching and start wondering, why is this guy making this and I’m making that?’ And it happens naturally. But if it’s something that’s in the dark corners, that’s life. But as soon as it becomes the main focus and football is not, then that’s when you struggle.”

Leaders from different conferences have long called for some sort of federal regulations regarding NIL. Congress has presented multiple bills that would create national NIL rules, but none of them have been passed thus far.

Hartman knows as well as anyone the difference NIL has made in college football. He began his college career in 2018, three years before NIL came into being, and played five seasons at Wake Forest.

Under normal circumstances, Hartman would have finished his college career after the 2022 season. But the NCAA granted players an additional year of eligibility stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Hartman took advantage of it by transferring to Notre Dame in an attempt to better position himself for the NFL. His NIL deals with the program were an added bonus.

The move paid off, with Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy telling Pryor that Hartman likely improved his draft stock by two rounds as a potential Day 3 pick in the fourth or fifth round.