South Carolina receiver Nyckoles Harbor partners with Beats by Dre

Nyckoles Harbor has not gone through fall camp or played in a game yet for South Carolina.

None of it has slowed him down from cashing in on his marketability.

The former five-star recruit has inked his second NIL deal in less than a week, partnering with Beats by Dre. In an advertisement on his Instagram account, the freshman promoted the brand’s Beats Fit Pro.

Facilitated by the South Carolina-focused sports marketing agency Park Avenue, the announcement comes after he signed Tuesday with Ovation for Men Sport.

Now he is endorsing Beats by Dre across his social media platforms.

“Nyck’s journey as a student-athlete and creator has only just begun, and he has a multitude of accomplishments ahead,” Park Ave’s Natalie Fedel told On3 in a statement. “Despite being at the early stages of his career, Nyck approaches brand partnerships with careful consideration, recognizing that they reflect his own identity.”

Beats by Dre and Bose have emerged two major spenders in the NIL era. Beats has signed a handful of notable athletes, including Caleb Williams, Bijan Robinson and Bronny James. The brand also mounted a college basketball campaign in March, signing Drew Timme along with North Carolina’s Deja Kelly, Stanford’s Haley Jones and Kansas’ Gradey Dick.

Shane Beamer and South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler raved about Harbor this past week at SEC Media Days. The No. 21 prospect in the On3 Industry rankings in the 2023 cycle will play receiver this fall for the Gamecocks. He had a standout senior season, recorded 251 yards and three touchdowns on five receptions in October for Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll.

He also has Olympic dreams, arguably making him more marketable market the company. Back in August, he ran a 10.22-second 100-meter time and a 20.95-second 200-meter time. He recorded a 6.70-second 60-meter time in February. His future as a track star weighed into his commitment decision.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound receiver inked his first partnership with Champs Sports the day before his commitment. The sportswear brand went behind-the-scenes with Harbor for the day. He has since signed with Hugo Boss and SuitShop.

Part of the his success in NIL so early in his career has been his notable social media following. Harbor has more than 92,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

Park Ave continues to deliver deals to South Carolina athletes

In August, South Carolina and Everett Sports Marking announced a two-year, $2.2 million partnership. Through the agreement, ESM established Park Avenue to procure NIL deals for Gamecock athletes. The in-house South Carolina-focused firm quickly made an difference. Touted basketball freshman GG Jackson signed on with Topps, while SAXX Underwear struck a six-figure, team-wide deal with the football team.

But the NCAA’s guidance in October labeled it impermissible for third-party entities to represent athletes on behalf of an athletic department. Park Avenue went dark for a few months but now has created a new infrastructure, separate of South Carolina.

ESM returned to the market in February, procuring numerous deals for South Carolina athletes. The agency has also secured outside funding, allowing the operation to be permissible with NCAA guidelines.

Nyckoles Harbor’s rising On3 NIL Valuation

Nyckoles Harbor holds a $348,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 25 of On3’s high school football NIL rankings. His valuation would rank in the top 150 college football NIL rankings, too. The receiver has seen an uptick of $37,000 over the last 10 weeks.

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 calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.