5-star Nyckoles Harbor is track phenom, football star with big dreams
“He runs the 100-meter in 10.3 seconds. He can jump out of the gym. He chases down every quarterback. He has a 3.8 GPA. He works as hard as anyone… I don’t know what else I can say about Nyckoles Harbor,” – Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll head coach Robert Harris on his junior five-star EDGE.
The story could end there. But it doesn’t.
Harris did have more to say about his prized recruit in the 2023 class.
“This kid is unreal,” Harris said. “On the field and off the field, Nyck can do it all. His speed on the track carries over to the football field, and his speed kills. He has it all. Nyck is a high character kid, he is great with his academics, and then he can dominate football games.
“What do they say, speed kills? That is what Nyck is about.”
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound EDGE out of Washington, D.C. is now the No. 8-ranked prospect in the 2023 On300. He is being pursued by some of the top programs in the country, and whoever gets him will have options.
“With his ability, I can play him almost anywhere,” Harris said. “I have to put him out there to rush the quarterback first, though. That is the name of the game now. You have to pressure the quarterback and that is something Nyck can do so well.
“He can also play tight end, wide receiver, linebacker, and he is on special teams, too. There is nothing he can’t do, but his biggest strength is getting after the quarterback with his speed.”
Fifth star won’t change Nyckoles Harbor
When On3 released its Top 100 for 2023, Harbor checked in at No. 11. He was just outside the top 10 and was the highest-rated four-star.
On3 expanded the rankings to 300 last week, and Harbor has added that fifth star. He moved inside the top 10, up to No. 8 in the country, and the ranking is nice, but it won’t change him.
“Being a five-star means that I am seen as one of the best in the country and I believe I am that,” Harbor said. “I work hard and I believe I am a five-star athletically and academically.
“The stars are not going to change me at all. I am going to be the same person. I am going to put in the same work, and I will play like I have zero stars.”
He knows with the stars and lofty rankings that there come expectations. Harbor welcomes those.
“The stars, the offers, the rankings only elevate me as a person to work that much harder, to be that much better, and I know the eyes will be on me more,” he said.
“I am ready for that. I just have to hold myself that much more accountable. My parents are great, I have a great coach, and I am ready for this.
“I think I have the right mindset, and I am ready to work like a five-star.”
Nyckoles Harbor will take his time with recruiting
Nyckoles Harbor was recently at Oklahoma for a game in Norman. Maryland, Michigan and Penn State have also had Harbor on campus this fall.
He has over three dozen offers, schools reach out to him daily, and he is taking it all in.
“My experience has been great with recruiting so far, and I am thankful for it all,” Harbor said. “My dad went through this as a soccer player coming out of Nigeria, so he has a little experience with recruiting, but this is different.
“This is all a blessing and I am looking at all the options the same right now. It is still so early for me, and I have a lot more to see before I start to really focus on it.”
Each visit is so important to Harbor. He takes each trip with open eyes, open ears and an open mind.
“Visits mean a lot to me and my recruiting,” he said. “The football is there, but the visits are more to me than the sport or the game.
“I want to learn about the school, I want to see the education they offer, and that is what I am looking for. Football ends at some point, so the education and academic side are always first for me on visits.
“The fans, the atmosphere, and things like that are nice, but I am looking at everything. I want to learn as much as I can about the school, not just the football part.”
Big dreams, aspirations for Harber on and off the field
The offers are nice, and Nyckoles Harbor is thankful for each, but it is not just about football for him.
His mother is a pharmacist. His father is an aerospace engineer. Oh yeah, his aunt is a physician, too.
The five-star on the field wants to be a five-star off it, too.
“I have big goals and dreams long-term,” Harbor said. “There is a lot to think about in recruiting, but I have a big decision to make for my future too.
“I have thought a lot about medicine, but I am also looking into the engineering field. I want to have a great future after football, and that is why education is so important to me.
“My mom, my dad, my aunt, and uncle have all given me so much knowledge, wisdom, and guidance about education, how important it is, and it really means a lot to me.”
The education part and what field Harbor decides to go into will play out in time, but there could be another decision he has to make in the near future.
That could be between two sports he loves.
“I have a passion for both track and football,” he said. “I love both. That is true. I know it is big, but my dream is to run in the Olympics and to play in the NFL.
“That is what I working for, training for, and hoping to do.”
Harbor is known for his 10.3-second time in the 100 meters. At his size, that is very unique. As impressive as that is, he actually likes another event more.
“My favorite event is the 200 meter. I love the 100 meters, the 4×100 meters, and all that, but the 200 meters allows me to get out, stretch it out, and really get going.
“My best time in the 200 meters is 21.36-seconds, but that was my first run last year. My goal this season is to get it down to under 21 seconds. That is what I am going to prepare to do.”
NFL. Olympics. A doctor. An engineer. Lofty goals for a 16-year-old, but if anyone can do it, it may be Harbor.
“He is a different young man,” coach Harris said. “I have been around some good ones over my career, but Nyck is special. He is unique.
“He comes from a great family, he is so focused, and then he is so talented. I know he will do big things.”