A major piece of the 2023 college football recruiting class jigsaw has finally fallen into place. Nyckoles Harbor, the No. 1 rated athlete in the country, has committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks on National Signing Day.
Nyckoles Harbor Commits to South Carolina Gamecocks
Ranked as the fifth overall player in the CFN Fusion Recruiting Rankings, Harbor was the best player to not sign during the early signing period. The Archbishop Carroll standout, who has played both tight end and EDGE during his high school career, committed to South Carolina, giving them a major weapon in their 2023 recruiting class.
While he’s been insanely productive for Archbishop on the defensive side of the ball — tallying double-digit sacks in the past two seasons — it is expected that Harbor will solely focus on offense going into his college career with South Carolina. Almost a third of his receptions in his final high school season resulted in a touchdown. Meanwhile, he was credited with 23 pancake blocks from the tight end position this year.
If it’s true that Harbor is to focus solely on playing tight end for South Carolina, it’s a frankly terrifying prospect for CFB defensive coordinators to scheme against. The 6’5″, 225-pound athlete — who has a CFN Fusion grade of 99.536 as the fifth-best player in the class — is a mismatch nightmare with electrifying speed, explosive burst, and good ball-tracking skills.
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Harbor’s strength, showcased off the edge in high school, makes him a physical blocker who has been able to routinely overwhelm his competition at the current level. With some minor technical adjustments and access to a college-level strength and conditioning program, Harbor has the potential to be an all-around tight end weapon.
In addition to his exploits on the football field, Harbor is a world-class athlete with Olympic potential. He recently set a new personal best of 6.64 seconds in the 60 meters at the Texas Tech Under Armour High School Classic. Meanwhile, he ran a 20.79-second 200 meters, which ranks as the fourth fastest time in high school athletics history. That’s impressive by any standards but absolutely insane for a 6’5″, 225-pound athlete.
As a result of his athletic prowess and high school football dominance for Archbishop Carroll, Harbors attracted offers from over 40 schools. Those included Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. The top athlete’s final five were Oregon, Miami (FL), Michigan, Maryland, and South Carolina. Yet, it was the Gamecocks that landed one of the crown jewels of 2023, adding to their 17th-ranked overall class.
