With National Signing Day tomorrow, all eyes will be on Archbishop Carroll’s Nyckoles Harbor. The DC native has been highly touted as a defensive end and as a receiving tight end/big wide receiver, though he is expected to primarily play offense at the next level. The top uncommitted player in the 2023 recruiting class according to the on3.com composite rankings, Harbor is an Olympic-caliber sprinter who will be running track in college in addition to playing football.
Harbor’s main interests leading up to Signing Day are South Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, and Oregon, but Miami has recently believed that they have entered the Harbor Sweepstakes. South Carolina, Maryland, and Michigan have been in on Harbor the longest, but Oregon has made a strong push in recent months. Indications are that Harbor is deciding between South Carolina and Oregon, but one should not completely count out Maryland or Michigan. As part of their Signing Day coverage, ESPN2 will air Harbor’s commitment live with coverage beginning at 1:00 PM EST on Wednesday.
The Case for Harbor to Pick South Carolina on Signing Day
Nyck Harbor is going to want to do three things at the next level: immediately make an impact on the football field, run for a successful track and field program, and stay steady in his pursuit of Olympic glory.
Immediate Impact
South Carolina has been one of the nation’s biggest “risers” as a program over the last two seasons. Head Coach Shane Beamer has brought the program back to the realm of competitiveness, a place the Carolina fanbase hadn’t seen for several years. Even so, they do not have anyone on their roster like Harbor. Immediately becoming the fastest player on the team if he chooses the Gamecocks, Harbor would be a deep ball threat with the afterburners needed to take the top off the defense. If Harbor is willing, Shane Beamer and Defensive Coordinator Clayton White might utilize Harbor in obvious passing situations, unleashing a garnet and black blur off the edge to hunt down opposing quarterbacks.
Track
South Carolina has a storied track program led by Coach Curtis Frye. He has coached over 175 conference champion individual performers and has led over 415 of his athletes to All-American seasons. Frye also has led his women’s team to a team national championship. Experienced beyond the college realm, Frye can also aid Harbor in preparation for the Olympics, having himself coached during World Championships and the Olympics. Harbor and his family value education, and Frye has seen every single athlete he’s coached graduate but one.
Olympics
Arguably the largest part of Harbor’s pursuit of running in the Olympics is how he will care for his body. For football, the South Carolina coaching staff has made it known to the Harbor family that they will deploy him on the field in whatever way he desires in order to keep his body healthy and in running shape. Again, another aspect of Harbor’s Olympic pursuit is Frye. A collegiate national coach of the year award winner multiple times, Frye was also one of the sprinter coaches at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and has coached six different medal-winning Olympians during their college careers.
The Case for Harbor to Sign Elsewhere on Signing Day
Oregon
Like South Carolina, Oregon has a very good track program. Unlike South Carolina, Oregon has a history of training Olympic sprinters who play on their football team. De’Anthony Thomas and Devon Allen played football in Eugene while pursuing and, in the case of Allen, making the Olympics. The school also boasts the best outdoor track stadium in the NCAA. Oregon also has a larger NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) pool with which to pay athletes than Michigan, Maryland, and South Carolina.
Michigan
Michigan has been recruiting Harbor as long as anyone, and Harbor has strong relationships with the coaching staff in Ann Arbor. Michigan also has had the most recent success on the football field and holds the highest academic standards of all five of Harbor’s finalists. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh returning to the Maize and Blue keeps Michigan right in the middle of things with Harbor.
Maryland
Maryland is Harbor’s hometown team. Because of this, he has visited and been visited by Maryland more than any other program. Going to Maryland would keep Harbor closest to home. What Maryland lacks in fan support and on-field success in recent years, they make up for in sentimentality and proximity to his family.
Miami
NIL. Miami has lots of money (or, more specifically, Miami’s boosters and donors do), and they are willing to throw it around to entice players to make their way to south Florida. The Harbor family is not looking for the biggest payday with Nyck’s recruitment, but a big enough bag of cash would be hard to ignore.