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Gamecocks Land 5-star WR Nyck Harbor

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Gamecocks Land 5-star WR Nyck Harbor
Feb. 01, 2023

1675289013257.pngCoach Beamer put the finishing touch to his 2023 recruiting class Wednesday afternoon with a commitment and pending signing of 5-star WR Nyck Harbor (6-5 225) of Washington, DC. The Gamecocks won a heated battle for the two-sport standout over Oregon, Maryland, Michigan, and Miami.

“It’s an amazing program,” Harbor said after making his announcement on ESPN2. “Coach Beamer is building something different there and I just want to be a part of that. Beamer ball is going to be great. It’s just a great family there. It feels like I’m right there at home, and that’s the best place for me. You want to go where your heart is at and make everything work.”

Harbor is one of the nation’s top high school sprinters and has Olympic aspirations. The track will be a big part of his athletic career with the Gamecocks. As a football player, he will bring to the program a unique set of skills with his size and speed. He can also play defensive end but wants to focus on a tight end in college.

Archbishop Carroll coach Robert Harris said Harbor is just one of those naturally gifted athletes that you come across every so often. Harbor played tight end and defensive end for Harris, but he plans to be a wide receiver for the Gamecocks.

“It’s more all-natural right now,” Harris said. “He’s still developing more technique and adding more moves to his game. The power and speed are natural, that’s more instinctive, and now he’s learning how to adjust to speeds, sometimes maybe not go as fast as other times.”

Beamer has known Harbor for several years. That early connection paid off for him in the end.

“Coach Beamer actually recruited Nyck when he was at Oklahoma as a freshman,” Harris said. “They’ve known about Nyck since they’ve come in the door. I’m sure the coaches love the fact that he’s so big and so fast. You don’t see that every day, you don’t find that everywhere. His length, with that kind of speed. Typically, the kind speed that Nyck displays, you see a guy about 5-foot-8, maybe 5-foot-7 to maybe 6-foot, 6-foot-1, moving like that.”

Harbor made several visits to USC throughout the recruiting process including an official visit in September.

“For Nyck, I think he loves the facilities, he loves the campus,” Harris said. “He’s gone camping there, so he’s seen it. He’s toured the buildings that he’s interested in his major. He just loves the overall feel. They’ve made both Nyck and his family feel like family. They’ve fostered that relationship very well over the months.”

Harbor becomes the 33rd newcomer for the Gamecocks in their 2023 group, and the sixth at wide receiver.
 
Nyck seems serious about his track aspirations. It will be interesting to see how his weight is handled going from football to track each year. At 235, he would probably need to lean down 15-20 lbs for track. Can he move up and down each year in weight for his respective seasons? He is going to spend a lot of time with the athletic staff nutritionist to manage that.
 
Landing top recruits is Step 1.

Preparing them for games and managing the team better on game day is Step 2.

Step 3 is being ranked consistently and competing for the SEC East.

Getting to Step 2 next season may be a little bumpy, but I expect us to have a solid winning record next season.

Joe Morrison proved you can be 8-4 and still maintain a competitive ranking if we are competitive in our losses.

Step 4 is to solidify your regional recruiting to compete for the division title every year and then bring in the top national recruits in other national regions to compete for the Natty.

Dawn has done all of these things. Mimic her success.
 
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