The talented class of quarterbacks in the ACC this season is a little like the cast of Friends.

There’s something to like about each one, but because they’re all different in their individual personalities and characteristics, it’s tough to get anyone to agree upon who is the best.

Still, some manage to stand out from the crowd more than the others.

If preseason conference Player of the Year Devin Leary of NC State, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke and Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong are the most talked about members of the group – or in the case of this analogy, Joey, Rachel and Monica – then Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman is Ross, the one most easily overlooked.

Hartman has quietly built arguably the most impressive career résumé of all 9 returning starters in the conference.

He already holds the school record with 72 touchdown passes and ranks No. 2 in passing yards with 9,266 while also ranking in the top 5 in program history in completions, attempts, completion percentage and passing efficiency. The 50 touchdowns he had a hand in producing last season ((39 passing and 11 rushing) is a number surpassed in ACC history by only Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, who had 51 on his way to the Heisman Trophy in 2016.

But for whatever the reason, whether it’s his size, a perceived lack of NFL arm strength or that his success has come as a product of coach Dave Clawson’s system, his accomplishments never seem to get the appreciation they deserve.

That might soon change. And not because of anything he does on the field.

On Wednesday, Wake Forest announced that the 6-1, 208-pound redshirt junior will be sidelined indefinitely with what is being described as a “non-football related condition.”

According to a release, Hartman sought medical attention following a workout Tuesday. The resulting tests revealed an issue that required a procedure and immediately “removed him from team activities.” Because of HIPAA concerns, the school did not disclose the nature of his ailment.

There is no set timetable for his return, though after cautioning media members that “anything that is said is just speculation right now,” Clawson indicated after practice Wednesday that he expects his on-the-field leader to be back at some point this season.

How deep into the season that happens, if it happens at all, will go a long way toward determining the Deacons’ chances of contending for a second straight Atlantic Division title. It’s also likely to define just how important Hartman is to his team and how he should be viewed in the pecking order of standout ACC quarterbacks.

Assuming he’s not available for Wake’s Thursday night season-opener against VMI on Sept. 1, the decision on who will take his place under center will come down to either Mitch Griffis or Michael Kern.

Griffis, a 5-11, 192-pound redshirt freshman, has thrown all of 13 passes in his college career, completing four for 56 yards and a touchdowns. Kern, a 6-2, 190-pound redshirt sophomore is 21 of 38 for 370 yards and a score. That includes a 58-yard completion to AT Perry in a mop-up role against Clemson last year.

Clawson has declared both to be capable of running Wake’s RPO-based offense without a significant drop-off. Considering the abundance of potent weapons they’ll have surrounding them – a group that includes All-ACC pick Perry, reliable slot man Taylor Morin and a healthy Donavon Greene, along with running backs Justice Ellison and Christian Turner – it’s not out of the question.

If that turns out to be the case, then it can legitimately be argued that a high-powered Deacons offense that has averaged more than 30 more points per game and ranked among the ACC’s best over the past 5 seasons is more the product of its system rather than the man running it.

A more likely scenario is that Hartman’s absence will validate his importance to the team and raise his stature even higher among ACC quarterbacks and nationally.

The success of Wake’s attack is predicated on a mesh point between the quarterback and running back that’s held for such a long period of time that ESPN could break for a commercial and still get back to the action before the defense figures out whether the play is a run or a pass.

Hartman has raised the process to an art form by making the right reads at the right times and knowing just how long he needs to hold his slow meshes to create maximum confusion on the other side of the line.

As difficult as his physical performance will be to replace, his presence in the huddle, on the sideline and practice field stands to be an even greater loss.

“Every physical measurement of a quarterback, he has improved every year. The big difference for him on our football team is just his leadership qualities,” Clawson said. “I always think that leadership is the element that can bond and elevate a football team.”

With or without Hartman, the Deacons will need to do their bonding quickly.

After what promises to be a Week 1 walkover against the Keydets, their schedule will get progressively harder as they take on SEC foe Vanderbilt on the road and Liberty at home before jumping right into ACC competition against preseason favorite Clemson and fellow division rival Florida State.

How long Hartman is sidelined will go a long way toward determining whether Wake remains a Joey, Rachel or Monica and continues to have a featured role in the Atlantic Division this season or if like its star quarterback, becomes a Ross and is just another face in the crowd.