National Signing Day 2018: Top 10 diamonds in the rough

Babers succeeded current head coach Dave Clawson at Bowling Green. And though Clawson doesn’t have the same reputation for putting up big points, the Demon Deacons have made great strides in recent years under his direction. In fact, Wake Forest ranked No. 20 nationally in points per game (38.3) and No. 23 in Offensive S&P+ last season, and the passing game was the biggest reason why.

Quarterback John Wolford completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 3,192 yards and 29 touchdowns with just six interceptions as a senior last season, which helped the Demon Deacons rank No. 2 nationally in Passing S&P+ (136.2), and fifth in passing success rate (48.6 percent). Wolford led the team to an 8-5 final record, but won’t be around for the Demon Deacons to take another step forward in 2018.

Wolford and tight end Cam Serigne are the only departed starters for Wake Forest offensively, so the next quarterback will have plenty of talent to work with. Rising senior Kendall Hinton was Wolford’s top backup last season, and Jamie Newman also saw playing time as a redshirt freshman. But don’t be surprised if early enrollee Sam Hartman makes a push for the job.

Hartman signed with the Demon Deacons as a three-star prospect, ranked No. 765 overall and No. 32 among pro-style passers in the 247Sports Composite. He was a higher profile prospect earlier in his career and was ranked No. 12 at his position by 247Sports when he committed to the Deacons in 2016.

Hartman led his high school to a state championship as a sophomore but has been overshadowed since on the national stage. Nevertheless, he has picked up steam again recently. In December, Hartman was named Offensive Player of the Game for the South Carolina squad in the Shrine Bowl against a team of North Carolina all-stars, displaying the good arm strength, accuracy and awareness that piqued Clawson’s interest years earlier.