Nyckoles Harbor brings plenty of buzz, questions to South Carolina

In Nyckoles Harbor, South Carolina got one of the highest touted recruits of the 2023 cycle. He largely played defense in high school, but also runs a 10.38-second 100-meter dash and is hoping to use that speed on offense at wide receiver.

The hype is real, according to GamecockCentral beat reporter Wes Mitchell. But there are still questions about how Shane Beamer will get the most out of the gifted Harbor.

Harbor was the crown jewel of South Carolina’s 2023 recruiting class — all of which is on campus now. A five-star prospect, he was the No. 21-ranked recruit in the nation from the cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

With new NCAA rules allowing Beamer to work with Harbor during the summer, Mitchell said there’s an opportunity to get a head start on the talented freshman’s development.

“The entirety of the class is now on campus. Harbor just arrived this past weekend, went through freshman orientation on Tuesday,” Mitchell told J.D. PicKell on On3 Roundtable. “Obviously, lots of excitement. The big question — not that it’s a new question, we’ve talked about it for months now — but it’s how do you efficiently use Nyck Harbor? This guy that has not actually played a ton of wide receiver, which is what he’s going to play at South Carolina.

“And the extra time, this is something Shane Beamer’s told us. The extra time that the NCAA level now allows coaches to have with their players in June and July is just going to be instrumental, I think, in bringing him along.”

GamecockCentral’s Wes Mitchell: Nyckoles Harbor is ‘unlike anybody South Carolina has ever signed’

Harbor’s raw talent is undeniable, especially since he also plans to run track at South Carolina. In fact, Mitchell went so far as to put his skills might be better than anyone else who’s worn a Gamecocks uniform.

That’s why despite the questions about how to best maximize his potential, there’s a palpable buzz surrounding Harbor’s arrival on campus.

“This is a guy that’s, I would say, unlike anybody South Carolina has ever signed,” Mitchell said. “Obviously, a freak of nature physically, a little bit raw as a wide receiver. But the excitement level’s certainly there, and the excitement level is there to see what he can do on the track here at South Carolina, as well.”

Shane Beamer: Nyckoles Harbor will be ‘fine’ transitioning to full-time wide receiver

Playing wide receiver isn’t totally new to Harbor. He played that position a few times at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. But he hasn’t done it full-time, and that’s where the summer development comes in.

Last month, Beamer acknowledged the intangible skillset from the mental standpoint. That’s why he thinks Harbor will handle the transition just fine.

“Justin Stepp and our offensive coaches will be able to really work with him individually and directly from a mental and physical standpoint, getting him ready for practice, which is something that we weren’t able to do in recent years,” Beamer said. “So between all of that, getting him out there, and again, we never want to do anything with a player that he can’t do, but Nyck is really athletic and instinctive and he’ll be fine making that transition.”