5-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor is a true dual-sport star

Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor is one of the nation’s top recruits in the 2023 class. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder is not only a star football prospect, but has also gone viral for his exploits on the track, where he is considered a legitimate Olympic-level sprinter.

Harbor recorded a personal-record time of 10.28 seconds in the 100-meter dash last April. Nearly two weeks before, he ran the 200-meter-dash in 20.79, the fourth-fastest time ever by a high school sprinter in the U.S.

That athleticism, combined with his size — he dwarfs other sprinters on the track — has college coaches drooling over his potential. As a junior last season, Harbor notched 44 tackles, including 31 tackles for loss, and 17 sacks while playing defensive end. He also caught 16 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns as a tight end. And he has done so with very little formal football training.

Nyckoles Harbor is talented enough to play both sports in college

Although his football skills as of now are somewhat raw, the long-term potential he possesses is why he is the No. 9 overall recruit in the 2023 On3 Consensus and has five-star status from three of four major recruiting services.

“Nyckoles Harbor is certainly among the more interesting prospects we’ve come across in the 2023 cycle,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power writes. “Simply put, he has the best combination of size and speed I’ve ever seen from a prospect.”

As of now, Harbor plans to participate in both sports at the next level.

Each of the schools recruiting him is doing so with that in mind, and he meets with coaches from both the football and track and field programs. Where he projects on the football field remains to be seen. Because he spends his time away from football on the track, he has yet to establish himself on either side of the ball, but could play tight end or EDGE at the next level.

On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has Maryland, Michigan and LSU as favorites

As Harbor heads into his senior year, multiple schools are in contention for his commitment. But Maryland, Michigan and LSU are the three programs that have the lead, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

The Wolverines (33.0%) are considered the current leaders, but only by a slight margin. LSU (26.8%), Maryland (11.2%) and USC (7.5%) trail close behind.

Because of his demanding track schedule, Harbor has only taken one official visit — a June 24 trip to Miami. Another, an Oct. 7 visit to LSU, is currently scheduled.

Nyckoles Harbor has a climbing On3 NIL Valuation

Harbor’s On3 NIL Valuation is currently $347K, good for 10th in the On3 High School Football NIL Rankings. His valuation’s largest shift came between April 26 and May 3, when it grew 177% from $115K to $317K. That coincided with his viral track video making the rounds on Twitter.

He now has the second-highest valuation for a non-quarterback in the rankings behind Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver Zachariah Branch, a USC commit.

The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.