Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman is wearing a necklace with part of his surgically-removed rib

Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images

Yes, you read that right

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman is making his debut for the Fighting Irish Saturday as the team takes on Navy in Dublin, Ireland in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

And the transfer quarterback will be wearing a piece of himself around his neck.

Last August Hartman was at Wake Forest, and ahead of the 2022 season it was announced that the quarterback was diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter syndrome. As part of his treatment, he had to undergo a procedure to get rid of blood clots, which involved removing the rib closest to his collarbone to prevent any further blood clotting.

Rather than having doctors dispose of that rib, Hartman held onto it, putting it in the family freezer for use at a later date.

As one does.

The plan for the rib? Turning it into a necklace. As his mother Lisa Hartman told The Athletic earlier this summer, there was a reason it needed to go into the freezer.

To help remove the flesh.

“It’s to get rid of the flesh that was on the rib,” Lisa Hartman told The Athletic in July. “He means the world to me, so if he wants me to clean the flesh off of his ribs, then that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Now, the necklace is finished, and around the quarterback’s neck as Notre Dame gets ready to take on Navy. The team shared a quick video of the necklace ahead of kickoff:

College football is so back.