Nyck Harbor racks up career game in South Carolina season opener

South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor entered the 2025 season looking to grow his role within the Gamecock offense. His junior season debut was nothing short of that growth he was looking for.

Harbor totaled a career-high and team-high 99 passing yards on Sunday against the Virginia Tech Hokies in just three catches. Harbor’s stat sheet doesn’t even include a nine-yard touchdown reception that Harbor grabbed, which, after video review, became an incompletion.

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Early in Sunday’s contest, Harbor had a drive-ending drop. In previous years, he may have run to the sideline with his head down after a mistake like that. However, as a junior, he knew to just move on to the next play.

“I told the offense, that’s on me, that’s on me. You don’t pout over the ball being dropped because I feel like I’ll get more opportunities in the game,” Harbor said. “Last year I would have pouted, but this year I came off the field smiling.”

Even with his high-yardage, low-catch total afternoon, controversy continued to mire Harbor’s day early.

Midway through the second quarter, LaNorris Sellers connected with Harbor in the back corner of the endzone for what, at the time, was ruled a touchdown. Harbor had pulled down the ball in bounds before stepping out of bounds and briefly losing control on his way to the ground. After replay review, officials ruled the catch as an incompletion.

“I felt like it was a catch, as we all seen,” Harbor said. “I had both feet touched down; I still had the ball in my hands. Stepped out of bounds; still had the ball in my hands. Then the DB made a great play, a great lasting effort. It is what it is. That’s what happens.”

Heac coach Shane Beamer understood why the call was what it was, he said postgame.

“It was a heck of a catch. I hate that they overturned it, but I get it,” Beamer said. “I told Nyck, ‘You’re going to come back and make another one as well.’ And he did. What a play. He’s a weapon. He’s just going to continue to get better.”

When Harbor finally got his touchdown, it was a play Gamecock fans have been waiting for since he arrived in Columbia.

Harbor’s speed had fans longing to see when a deep connection for six would be made to him. When ” EA Sports College Football 25″ came out last year and the wideout debuted as the fastest in the game, those cries ramped up nationally.

Harbor said he was glad to get a go-route touchdown like that for the fans. He hoped it made up for his drop earlier in the game.

“I feel like the fans were waiting for this more than I did,” Harbor said. ” We completed that ball plenty of times in practice. Now we got the shot to do it in the game. We executed real well.”

Sellers said when he saw the safety come down, he knew they had the shot play. Sellers threw the pass, the crowd lit up and South Carolina scored, effectively putting the game away.

However, when it comes to actually throwing to Harbor on the post, that’s something Beamer credits to his son, Hunter.

The day before an open practice to members of the media, they ran that play, and Sellers didn’t throw to the post route.

“Hunter was at practice, and Mike Shula came over to Hunter and said, ‘Hey, go tell LaNorris when we call that play, to throw the post,” Beamer said. “Lo and behold, that was the play we called today, and he sure as hell threw the post on that one today for a touchdown.”

Sellers put a perfect pass in there on the deep shot, Harbor said.

“16 put an excellent ball just right up there. Didn’t have to go too fast and didn’t have to go too slow,” Harbor said. “Just a perfect ball by the best quarterback in the nation.”

Harbor’s first full offseason with South Carolina came to an end with a strong debut in Atlanta.

“He’s putting in the work for it. Glad he’s coming out there shining,” Sellers said. “He’s more comfortable catching the ball and stuff like that. He just looks more natural.”

Harbor’s confidence is high after his first full offseason with the Gamecocks.

“I’ll just say like my boys, just being out there with them and just having the whole off-season with them,” Harbor said. “All 10 of them boys out there trust me, and that gives me all the confidence in the world to go out there and make plays whenever my name is called.”

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