Notre Dame football is entering year two of the Marcus Freeman era. After a very shaky 0-2 start last year that saw the Fighting Irish losing at home to Marshall football, Notre Dame ended up having a solid year. It could've been much better if they avoided the Marshall upset and another horrid home loss to Stanford football, but it was still good. First year coaches usually get a little bit of leeway, but now that it's year two for Freeman, the Irish need to perform. Notre Dame is coming into the season ranked #13 in the country, and the fans wants to see this team get back to the College Football Playoff.

One crucial piece to the puzzle this season for Notre Dame football will be transfer quarterback Sam Hartman. Elite QB play would've gone a long way last year for the Irish, and now they should have it. Hartman is coming to South Bend from Wake Forest football where he had a phenomenal season in 2022. Last season, Hartman finished the year with 3,701 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, a 63.1 completion percentage and 12 interceptions. Hartman is poised for another special season in 2023 with Notre Dame, and here are four bold predictions for the star QB's season.

4. Sam Hartman will throw for 4,000 yards

One thing that will be very important for Hartman this season is the fact that this Notre Dame team is better than his Wake Forest team from last year. He is surrounded by better players, and that is going to help his game, and we should see all of his numbers increase. Last season, Hartman wasn't that far away from the 4,000 yard mark. He has another offseason of growth under his belt now and a better team, and he should be able to throw for more yards this season.

3. Sam Hartman will throw five or less interceptions

One number that Hartman would like to see go down this season is his interceptions. To put things in perspective, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams, threw for 42 touchdowns and just five interceptions. That's where Hartman wants to be, and that's where he's going to get this season. A big part of offseason growth as a QB is improving decision making, and Hartman likely spent a lot of time on that this summer.

It will also help that Hartman is surrounded by better weapons at Notre Dame than he had at Wake Forest. Better weapons will make life easier on Hartman and they will make him look even better. Limiting interceptions will also be crucial for Hartman and his above passing yards prediction to come true.

2. Sam Hartman will throw 40 touchdown passes

Better weapons and less mistakes will also help Hartman in another category: touchdown passes. He had 38 of them last season while throwing 12 interceptions. It would be shocking to see Hartman throw double digits picks again this season, and limiting those mistakes should help him throw at least a couple more TDs.

1. Sam Hartman will lead Notre Dame to at least 11 wins

While Fighting Irish fans might be hoping that that the number of wins gets a little bit higher than 11, this would still be a big step in the right direction and a great year for Marcus Freeman in his second season. Notre Dame has a tough schedule that includes games against Ohio State football and USC football, who are both ranked top six. 11 wins would be a great season for the Irish.