Anthony Wilson
Five-star South Carolina freshman wide receiver Nyck Harbor broke several school records this spring as the star of the Gamecocks’ track and field team, putting his future on the football field in question.
Slated to be one of the options in the passing game this fall as a sophomore contributor, Harbor limited much of spring ball to focus on running and recently qualified for nationals in June in hopes of running for Team USA at the Summer Olympics later this year. Harbor ran a personal best of 20.20 in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA East Regionals last week to finish eighth, setting a new South Carolina record. His 10.11 sprint in the 100m was also a new personal record and qualified him for nationals.
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer has addressed Harbor’s desire to compete in the Olympics in recent weeks and said he fully supports his goal of doing so. The U.S. Olympic Trials will be held the last week of June in Oregon and if Harbor runs well, he will likely appear at the Summer Olympics in Paris beginning July 26 and during the first two weeks of the Gamecocks’ fall football camp , which begins August 1st.
“It wouldn’t be great from a football standpoint because of the amount of time he would miss in football,” Beamer said. “But he and I talked about it. We met in my office at the end of spring training and I told him, ‘If you had a chance to run in the Olympics, that would be really cool and something that would be really amazing for him. and our entire university.'”
Porto was the No. 15 recruit in 247Sports 2023 class rankings, choosing South Carolina over Maryland and Michigan and then opting to focus on wide receiver in his junior year, although some recruiting analysts think he could have better long-term potential at tight end (in Kyle Pitts’ line) or even the front-seven, rushing the passer and combining with running backs, tight ends and receivers. 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins Praised Harbor as the No. 1 “freak” prospect in his class.
Beamer said he recently met with Harbor after spring training and acknowledged that while the timing is not ideal with several missed football practices, the opportunity to run in the Olympics is something that would benefit both the individual athlete and the university.
“It would be really, really cool for our university, for our football program, for our track and field program, but most importantly, for Nyck,” Beamer said. “I know how passionate he is about the tracks. He’s a great young man (and) so humble too, so I hope that happens.”
After losing All-SEC pass catcher Xavier Legette to 2024 NFL Draft and Juice Wells to Ole Miss in the transfer portal, the Gamecocks prioritized going after multiple wide receivers in the 2024 recruitment cycle, as well as the transfer portalto fill the staffing gap in the position.
Harbor is expected to be a leader within the room if he is able to further develop his game after recording 12 receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown during his true freshman season last fall.
MORE: High hopes for two Gamecocks releases coming this week
The Gamecocks will sign quarterback LaNoris Sellers as their starting quarterback in 2024 following the departure of Spencer Rattler for the NFL Draft. The 6-foot-2 Sellers played three games in 2023, preserving his status as a redshirt freshman this fall.
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