Nyckoles Harbor signs NIL deal with Champs Sports ahead of commitment

On3 Consensus five-star recruit Nyckoles Harbor is making sure to take advantage of his NIL platform when he can.

The top uncommitted prospect in the class of 2023 has inked an NIL deal with Champs Sports, he announced on Twitter. Because Washington, D.C., allows high schoolers to profit off their name, image and likeness, Harbor is able to cash in.

With National Signing Day slated for Wednesday, Harbor is expected to announce his commitment. As On3’s Chad Simmons reported earlier this week, the nation’s No. 21 overall prospect and the top-ranked athlete will announce his decision around 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Champs Sports has been an aggressive brand in the NIL space, inking notable partnerships with the Cavinder Twins and Duke basketball commit Jared McCain. Now the top-ranked player in Washington, D.C., has a chance to join forces with the sports retailer.

“Journey with me tomorrow as I celebrate my commitment day with Champs Sports,” he wrote.

This is not Harbor’s first move in NIL, though. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound prospect signed up to have an NFT trading card through Prospex in early December. Prospex’s NIL platform connects fans and players through the digital sale of a playing card. Players will name up to 10 possible programs, and fans will be able to buy a card of a player and that team. On3 serves as a media partner for the company.

So far, Harbor has seen 21 cards bought by Michigan fans, four from Maryland and one apiece at Oregon and South Carolina. Once Harbor chooses his respective school, fans who bought that specific card will see 85% of their sales go to the five-star recruit. If he doesn’t choose a school, fans who bought that specific card will earn 90% of their money back.

Latest on 5-star’s recruitment

As skilled as he is on the football field, Harbor has excelled in track. As a sophomore, he ran a 10.38-second 100-meter time and a 21.36-second 200-meter time.

His future as a track star is weighing into his recruitment. As Simmons reported Wednesday, multiple schools still feel they are in this race.

“Oregon received the last visit and the Ducks are very much in this,” Simmons wrote. “They are a little late to the race compared to other finalists, but they have come on strong and given him a lot to consider in the 11th hour. Distance is considered the biggest hurdle for the Ducks in this recruitment. 

“Maryland and South Carolina are the other two I continue to hear that are in that ‘top group’ heading into the final hours. The Gamecocks may feel a little better out of those programs. Michigan cannot be ruled out yet, and Miami continues to try to stay in this race.”

Nyckoles Harbor’s On3 NIL Valuation

The No. 21 player in the nation, according to the On3 Consensus, holds a $293,000 On3 NIL Valuation. The evaluation ranks No. 14 in high school football.

Throughout the recruiting process, Harbor has built a solid social media following which currently sits at just under 60,000.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.