Entering a professional sports league without a starting job means that the game is about chances. Chances, which can disappear as quickly as they appear, break down a league like the NFL into many shifting gears and ever-changing goals.

Sam Hartman awaits that chance, but until then, the once star college quarterback remains a rostered backup player for the Washington Commanders.

Overqualified here means that Hartman holds every Wake Forest passing record and is second in passing yards in ACC history. A four-year starter in Winston-Salem with a fifth at Notre Dame, Hartman went undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft before making the Commanders roster.

Hartman holds a disadvantageous hand compared to the Commander’s starter, Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman winner, but the 25-year-old Charlotte native retains confidence in both his dream and his ability.

“I still see myself playing in the league, becoming a starting quarterback,” Hartman said. “It’s going to be a long road. But if you know anything about my career, you know it’s never going to be an easy journey. So I wouldn’t expect anything less, but I know my leadership abilities.”

Hartman started for a Power Five school for five years, leading Wake Forest to a No. 10 ranking and ACC Championship appearance in 2021. With this experience often comes the dawning of a leader mindset, but the quarterback has noticed that he needs to lead differently from his current depth role in Washington.

“When practice is over is when I find my ability to shine,” Hartman said. “[It’s] an older guy grabbing me and saying, ‘Hey, I need to work on my hands. Can you throw to me?’ [It’s] a practice squad guy that doesn’t get any reps I can go out with and do the script over and throw with. That’s been a huge way for my leadership to show.”

When Hartman was set to return from a sidelining medical condition in 2022, Wake Forest Head Coach Dave Clawson told 247Sports that Hartman was “one of the best leaders we’ve ever had here.”

The college numbers and intangibles are there, but Hartman still needs lightning to strike for him to get a proper opportunity in the NFL in 2024. Until then, it’s a game of patience, discipline and, maybe most of all, keeping his chin held high.

“At the moment, it’s kind of a waiting game,” Hartman said. “As long as you stay healthy and keep progressing, it’s just seeing it through. There’s a lot of different things that can happen in this league … I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

Hartman continued: “It’s a unique position, where you have three guys that are ahead of you, and you’re not really looked on or called upon to do anything. It’s more about every single day showing up with a great attitude; you bring a good sense of energy and enthusiasm.”

The chance that Hartman awaits is not utterly uncommon. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, stumbled into a starting position that same year and then led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2023. To be more realistic, turn to quarterback Gardner Minshew, a 2019 sixth round pick that has started 37 games since and currently holds the starting position on the Las Vegas Raiders.

Now a part of the Commander’s official 53-man roster, it does mean his progress is on display for every potential suitor in 2024. And he believes his Washington coaches are rooting for his chances anywhere, not just with the Commanders.

“You’re not only trying to make this team, and especially speaking from an undrafted [perspective], you just stay as long as possible, and get money and play the game,” Hartman said. “So that’s a really weird deal where your coaches are telling you, ‘Hey, this is a big opportunity, but not just for [this team], but for somebody else’s, too.’”