NFL heartthrob Sam Hartman revealed as the next ‘Bachelor’ months after being cut by Washington Commanders

See more of our coverage in your search results. Sam Hartman is trading in the end zone for his endgame. ABC announced the NFL player as the next leading man of “The Bachelor,” which will premiere its milestone 30th season in March 2027. “I’m excited but also very nervous,” Hartman said on “Good Morning America” Friday morning. “I have a tough time holding conversation with one girl. Thirty is going to be pretty tough.” Sam Hartman stars in ABC’s “The Bachelor” on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. Disney Sam Hartman of the Washington Commanders looks on after a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins in Landover, Md., Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. Getty Images The 27-year-old quarterback played college football at Wake Forest University, where he set the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) record for most passing touchdowns at 110 touchdowns. In 2022, Hartman missed time on the field after getting diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter syndrome, a rare condition that causes blood clots in the upper arm, per the National Library of Medicine. He later transferred to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility, where he led the team to a 9-3 regular-season record. Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman watches from the sideline during a game against the Miami Dolphins in Landover, Maryland, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Sam Hartman attends the Prabal Gurung fashion show during New York Fashion Week at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. WireImage Though many sports analysts projected Hartman to be a late-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he ultimately went undrafted and signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent. In August, Hartman was cut from the roster, but he resigned to the team’s practice squad the next day. While ABC has historically chosen Bachelor Nation alums to lead the franchise, Hartman becomes the latest celebrity to join the show’s growing roster of non-former contestants. In 2020, Matt James — a longtime friend of former “Bachelor” star Tyler Cameron and who had never appeared on the franchise — was selected as the show’s first Black lead for Season 25. Earlier this year, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul was also tapped to appear in “The Bachelorette” Season 22. However, Paul’s season was scrapped by ABC amid a string of domestic violence controversies involving her ex-boyfriend and baby daddy, Dakota Mortensen. Sam Hartman attends the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Getty Images Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman (15) walks off the field after an NFL preseason football game in Landover, Md., Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. Getty Images Stay one step ahead with all the exclusive tea on your favorite reality TV stars! Sign up for Virtual Reali-Tea with Danny and Evan, our must-read newsletter! Thank for signing up! Three days before the show was supposed to premiere in March, a video showing Paul hurling a barstool at Mortensen — with one of her children present — was released. The video was from a 2023 domestic violence incident that resulted in Paul’s arrest. “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” ABC told Page Six in a statement. The news came days after it was announced that “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” halted filming on Season 5 due to a separate domestic dispute between Paul and Mortensen in February. Sam Hartman and Zuri Hall attend the Gallery Club House event in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 7, 2026. Chad Salvador/for Gallery Media Group / Shutterstock Sam Hartman attends the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Celebration in San Francisco, California, on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. Getty Images for Apple In the Hulu show’s fourth season — which was filmed shortly after she finished filming “The Bachelorette — Paul reveals she got engaged to contestant Doug Mason, though she broke things off because she was not over Mortensen. Here’s hoping ABC’s decision to hand Hartman the final rose this time around doesn’t come back to haunt the franchise. “The Bachelor” Season 30 premieres Sunday, March 21 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu. Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. 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