NFL quarterback Sam Hartman named new Bachelor season 30 lead

Sam Hartman, a quarterback for the Washington Commanders, has been named the lead of “The Bachelor” season 30, ABC announced Friday.

The network said Hartman, 27, will hand out roses when the season premieres March 21, marking the show’s return after a nearly two-year hiatus. Hartman made the announcement during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” shortly after the Commanders’ win over the New York Giants on Thursday night.

Hartman’s path from Oceanside Collegiate Academy to the Commanders

Hartman played his senior season of high school football at Oceanside Collegiate Academy in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, leading the program to a 7-3 record. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 29, 1999. During his time in Mount Pleasant, he also took part in Season 2 of the documentary series “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” which followed high school quarterbacks working toward college football dreams.

Hartman’s last snap outside of the preseason came at Stanford Stadium in 2023 as a member of Notre Dame’s football team. He now plays for the Washington Commanders but is a member of the practice squad and has yet to make his regular-season NFL debut.

The announcement and Hartman’s reaction

On “Good Morning America,” Hartman joked about the challenge ahead. “I have a tough time holding conversation with one girl; 30 is going to be pretty tough,” he told the hosts. He said his first reaction to the overture was “no way,” but a conversation with the show’s host, Jesse Palmer, changed his mind.

Palmer is a former lead on “The Bachelor” and was a quarterback for the Giants when he appeared on the show’s fifth season. The network’s announcement noted that Colton Underwood and Clayton Echard — both contestants on “The Bachelorette” who later became leads of “The Bachelor” — also had brief NFL careers. Underwood was on practice squads while Echard went to a training camp. Mel Owens, the titular “Golden Bachelor” for Season 2 of the spinoff, was a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams.

A franchise coming back after a troubled year

Sentinel Colorado reported that after a troubled year for “The Bachelor” franchise, ABC is going back to a familiar well: the NFL. The network announced Friday that Hartman would be the 30th season’s lead.

What happens next

Season 30 will premiere March 21 at 8:00 p.m., according to People, marking the show’s return after a nearly two-year hiatus. Hartman’s season will be the first to feature an active NFL quarterback as the lead.

Hartman appeared on “Good Morning America” shortly after the Commanders’ win over the New York Giants on Thursday night. The announcement came as ABC seeks to revive the franchise following what Sentinel Colorado described as a troubled year.

Other entertainment stories in the news this week include Janet Jackson’s appearance at the 27th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, where she presented Daddy Yankee with the Person of the Year Award, and actor Chris Hemsworth’s home burglary in Broken Head, Australia, in which three vehicles were stolen, two later recovered and the third seized for forensic examination.