Shane Beamer evaluates Nyck Harbor's progress after first full spring: 'It's night and day'
It’s been over four months since South Carolina’s intense Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois. With how much time has passed, head coach Shane Beamer still finds himself rewatching the game, as recently as during spring practice.
“I’m sick in the head,” Beamer said. “I was watching the TV copy of the Illinois game back during spring ball, just because I’m sick.”
But Beamer had his reasons for putting the Gamecocks’ 21-17 loss from New Year’s Eve back on. In one of the team’s scrimmages, he noticed Nyck Harbor had run a similar route to one in the bowl game that resulted in a 17-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
“It was like an outbreak route,” Beamer said. “… And I watched him because, literally, that same day, he had made the catch in practice, and it was a similar route. I texted him like I saw the TV copy of that play against Illinois in the bowl game, and then you ran a similar route in practice today.”
For Beamer, it was a sign that Harbor was making progress in his first full spring with South Carolina. Since he came as a two-sport athlete, his focus normally would be on track once football season ended. That meant not putting on the pads again until fall camp.
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But after a season in which Harbor caught a career-high 26 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns, he decided to skip the outdoor track season after already missing the indoor season in the winter. Now that the spring is done, Beamer was pleased with how the spring went for the now-junior wide receiver.
“It’s just night and day,” he said. “Just the details of the position, the way that he’s able to get off the line of scrimmage, his burst coming off the line, the way he’s able to sink his hips, get out of breaks. He just looks so much more natural and comfortable.”
Beamer credited receivers coach Mike Furrey for pouring into Harbor and his development. And for Harbor, he’s continued to work the same way he has throughout his college career.
“Even on our off days during the season, our off days are Mondays, and he’s in there every Monday, just running routes and working on his technique,” Beamer said. “And that’s really, I would say, just his route running and releases off the line of scrimmage. He’s so much more polished.”
