The fast-moving economy of college and professional football invests in young star players itching for an opportunity to make a play their coaches will remember. Our athletes become our heroes. Student-athletes are clawing and scratching every single play to make that leap to stardom, to be that hero.

Sam Hartman joined a sports journalism class last week to talk about the mental health of student athletes, highlighting his own struggles throughout his journey at Wake Forest and Notre Dame.

Hartman won the starting job his freshman year at Wake Forest, but lost it to then-senior Jamie Newman his sophomore year. He felt wronged by the coaching staff and spent his days sulking rather than working hard to get better at the sport he loved so dearly.

“You’re screwing me, this is BS,” Hartman said. “I should be the starter, I’m the freaking man.” 

Hartman’s wake-up call came during a lonely 2019 walk along Reynolda Trail halfway through his sophomore season. His head coach, Dave Clawson, cut him off on the path and changed his life.

“Why are you acting differently? Why are you not putting in any effort?” Clawson said. That’s when our hero opened his eyes.

“I was listening to everyone outside of it and not the people whose opinions really mattered,” Hartman said. “I thought I was deserving of a starting spot that I did not deserve or earn, and I was pretty much checked out. I just went through my days not really caring.”

Sam stayed with that conversation that night. 

“What am I doing? You know the classic 2 a.m. doing push-ups in your dorm.”

Yes, we do know. 

Anyone who strives to be successful knows that feeling: you can’t fall asleep late at night because you’re up thinking about how to be better, how to be the best. So you do push-ups until failure, so your heart rate is raised, and then you definitely can’t fall asleep anytime soon.

Those pushups never really accomplish anything more than an ego boost. For Sam, they were a sign that he needed to change his mentality. 

“I did a lot of mental work to help myself get to even a point of feeling like I’m myself,” Hartman said.

The pressure on student-athletes gets to an unceasingly painful point. 

“It built up in my head like, ‘All right. I have to be perfect,” Hartman said. 

At the end of all the practices, games and schoolwide fame where everybody knows your name, student-athletes are still human beings with human thoughts and human emotions.

According to Hartman, the most enjoyable part of being a student-athlete is the things people comment on social media. With all the incredible performances, there are a few nice things to read for people like Sam. 

For all the small mistakes and bad performances, though, there are hundreds of negative social media comments from ruthless “fans.” 

“If you listen to that [positive] noise, then you’re going to listen to the negative noise,” Hartman said.

“I guess my college career is over. I will probably be benched forever,” Hartman said following a blowout loss to Wisconsin in which he threw four interceptions. He let all the negative noise get to him, but he only needed to listen to the people close to him. 

His coaches called him the next day and said, “The sun still comes up.” 

“When I was a Freshman in college, I wish I had put as much effort and focus into my mental side as I did my physical side,” Hartman said. “I think I would be in a better spot.”

Student-athletes face constant mental health struggles in today’s pressure-filled landscape of college athletics. A 2021 study released by the NCAA revealed that 61% of female and 40% of male student-athletes transferred due to mental health struggles.

Furthermore, a 2019 study conducted by the International Olympic Committee revealed that 35% of elite athletes deal with mental health problems, including but not limited to: depression, eating disorders, substance addiction, sleep issues, anxiety, OCD and ADHD.

Hartman’s mental work has left him in a good spot, though. Even today, he keeps his competitive fire, those 2 a.m. pushups. The former college star is beginning his second year as a pro as a member of the Commanders’ practice squad. 

Even though he’s not satisfied with his current position, Sam is not worried. 

“I know if I’m a good person and I work my tail off, that at the end of the day I’ll end up where I need to be,” Hartman said. 

He knows nothing is guaranteed at his current job. He takes every day to do what he loves and be as good as he can be. 

“Just dance beautifully in the box you’re destined to dance in,” Hartman said.