Shane Beamer believes Nyck Harbor will 'absolutely' play more going forward
For weeks, Gamecock fans had been asking one question: Where’s Nyck Harbor?
Through five games, Harbor had only played 55 total snaps. When he was out there, he caught one pass, a seven-yard touchdown against Furman. But fans wanted to see more from the former five-star recruit.
But Shane Beamer vowed that Harbor and other freshmen would see the field more, a promise that he stuck to.
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The 6-foot-5, 241-pound receiver played a season-high 28 snaps in last Saturday’s loss to Florida. According to Beamer, Harbor had his best week of practice, which gave him a chance to play more.
“He earned that with the way that he practiced. Played well,” Beamer said. “We wanted to kind of even out some of those wide receiver reps a little bit and get Nyck in there more. And he was out there (Saturday), specifically when we were in 12 personnel, meaning one running back, two tight ends and two receivers. He was going to be in that package pretty much every time and did well.”
In the first quarter, Harbor got his chance to shine. On first and 10, Spencer Rattler faked a handoff to Mario Anderson and instead looked to pass. He unloaded a long pass to Harbor, who used his size to make the catch over Florida’s Jalen Kimber.
It was a 45-yard catch for Harbor, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. As he came away with the ball near the home sideline, a smiling Beamer leaped into Harbor’s arms.
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In the moments after, the television broadcast showed Rattler trying his best to hold back a smile, while Beamer pumped his fist in the air.
“That was a big time play he made, and really happy for him because of how hard he’s worked,” Beamer said. “Give Spencer some credit too. Spencer does a great job of lifting him up, instilling confidence in him, throwing him balls in practice and having confidence to throw balls to him in the game, as well.”
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That would be Harbor’s only highlight of the day. But Beamer said he “absolutely” has a chance to play much more in the future.
“He continues to gain confidence and does a nice job for us,” he said. “But like all of our players, it’s going to be, go back to practice and see how they perform in practice.”
