Shane Beamer announces Nyck Harbor, Juice Wells practiced Tuesday, will play Week 1
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has been optimistic about receivers Juice Wells and Nyck Harbor being healthy enough to play in the opener against North Carolina.
On Tuesday, Beamer revealed that both players are good to go for Week 1 in Charlotte.
According to Mike Uva of GamecockCentral, Beamer told media members in Columbia that Wells and Harbor both practiced on Tuesday and will play against UNC.
Wells was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2022 after an incredible first year in Columbia. He transferring into the program from James Madison ahead of the 2022 season.
Harbor is a five-star freshman who signed with the Gamecocks in February. He was ranked as the No. 1 athlete in the country for the class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry rankings.
Last week, Beamer said that Wells was trending in the right direction and that he expected him to play. He has apprently continued to make progress since then.
“His health is, you know, good. I wouldn’t say it’s great,” Beamer told WCCP. “But we fully expect him to be ready to go next week. He was out at practice [Thursday] running around and doing a little bit, and he’ll get better and better each and every day.”
Juice Wells caught 68 passes for 928 yards and six touchdowns last season and was the go-to guy for South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Wells also came up big in big games, catching 20 passes for 308 yards and two scores combined in wins over top 10 teams Tennessee and Clemson last season.
Beamer recently spoke about how important Wells is to the Gamecocks team.
“He means a lot. I mean obviously he was first-team all-conference last year for a reason, because of the year that he had,” Beamer said. “Just whether it be big plays in the Clemson game last season where he catches an explosive pass for a touchdown, or the very last play of the game where we throw a screen to him and he breaks two or three tackles and with extra effort gets the first down to lock that game away. He’s just a competitor and fantastic player.”
If Wells is indeed healthy, North Carolina and other teams are sure to show him plenty of attention. When that happens, other playmakers have to be ready to step up for South Carolina. That includes Harbor.
“We’ve just got to be great around Juice, as well,” Beamer said. “I’m excited about the tight ends and receivers that we have with him in the passing game. And confident that he’s going to continue to build on what he did last season as well and continue to get better.”