Nyckoles Harbor has yet to play a snap of college football but he is already the fastest defensive end in the country. Except it doesn’t sound like he is going to play defensive end…
Either way, the five-star freshman is going to be a monster and has the SEC on notice.
(Image courtesy: South Carolina athletics)
Harbor, 18, was the top-ranked “Athlete” in the recruiting Class of 2023 as someone who starred on both sides of the ball. He caught 15 passes for 439 yards and five touchdowns on offense as a hybrid tight end/receiver, but really made his mark on defense.
Harbor was one of the most dominant EDGE rushers in the country and recorded 45 tackles, with 16.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. His powerful punch also forced five fumbles.
When Harbor was not eating people on the gridiron, he was running past them on the track.
His 60-meter sprint back in January set the leading time in the United States on any level.
He has also been clocked as fast as 10.38 in the 100-meter.
If those times are not impressive enough, Harbor was running them at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds. That’s just ridiculous.
Based on the amount of time he spent at his two positions in high school, the expectation was that Harbor would be a valuable piece on the Gamecocks defense. However, he is officially listed as a wide receiver on the South Carolina roster and saw first-team reps during a scrimmage on Saturday.
It sounds like the five-star phenom is going to do a little bit of everything.
I think we just gotta be smart with him. We gotta temper the expectations a little bit. Yes he’s really talented, he’s really big, he’s really fast, but he’s also [an] 18-year-old guy that’s a freshman in college playing in the SEC.
He can be a weapon in a lot of ways; carrying the ball, catching the ball – can rush the passer as well, so he’s just an immensely talented guy, [and I’m] just excited to see what he and the rest of our offensive guys can do.
— Shane Beamer at SEC Media Days in July
If a defensive end was listed at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, it would be impressive. For a receiver to be listed at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds is D.K. Metcalf territory.
Nyckoles Harbor is even heavier!
According to Shane Beamer, his new two-way star hit the weight room hard during the offseason and is up nearly 10 pounds. That’s frightening.
Regardless of where Harbor lines up this fall, he is going to be a problem. There might be some growing pains at first, but there is no doubt that the DMV-native will blossom into a star.