Sam Hartman could have been one of the first quarterbacks off the board in the NFL Draft during the spring, but he elected to return to Wake Forest for one more season.
Hartman appeared at ACC Media Days Wednesday and explained he felt like he "owed" the Demon Deacons after the team lost in the conference championship game to Pittsburgh.
"It's one of the reasons I came back. It's a legacy, right?" he said.
"Wake Forest invested in me, and I want to invest back in Wake Forest. I felt like I owed it to them and their belief in me. ... I wanted to make it right."
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Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman answers a question at the Atlantic Coast Conference Media Days in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, July 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Hartman had the best year of his collegiate career in 2021, throwing for 4,228 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Wake Forest won its first eight games of the season and was ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP poll, the program's highest ranking ever and its highest since reaching No. 11 in 1947.
Quarterback Sam Hartman (10) of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons sets to pass against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the 77th annual TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field Dec. 31, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla. (Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Wake Forest finished the season 11-3 overall and 7-2 in the ACC. The Demon Deacons finished with a 38-10 Gator Bowl win over Rutgers.
Hartman was named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list to start the 2022 season. It’s the first time since 2009 a Wake Forest quarterback was named to the preseason watch list for the award. Riley Skinner was the Deacons' quarterback that year.
Quarterback Sam Hartman of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons looks to pass against the Clemson Tigers during a game at Clemson Memorial Stadium Nov. 20, 2021, in Clemson, S.C. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
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Wake Forest opens the season Sept. 1 at home against VMI.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.