Nyck Harbor explains why focusing solely on football will 'do wonders' for him

This spring will look much different for Nyck Harbor. Normally around this time of year, his attention is mainly on track since he came to South Carolina as a two-sport athlete. He’d continue honing his craft in football during his spare time but wouldn’t fully get back into it until the summer arrived.

Heading into his junior season, though, he’s decided that it’s time to focus on football. After watching from the sidelines as a track star last year, the wide receiver will be going through his first spring practice as a Gamecock.

GamecockCentral confirmed on Monday that Harbor would skip the outdoor track season after already missing the indoor season so he could focus on football’s winter workouts. It was undeniably a hard decision but one that he felt was the right move at this stage of his career.

“It’s going to do wonders,” Harbor said. “I usually come back in July or August and try to ramp everything back up. I’m just smooth sailing. It’s really just going off of last year. I’m excited to do it.”

By football becoming his main priority now, that doesn’t mean his track career is over by any means. With the speed he possesses, there’s something special there.

Last spring, Harbor finished fifth at the SEC indoor track & field championships, clocking in at 20.87 seconds in the 200-meter dash. He also received an invite to the 2024 USA Olympic Team Trials. But for the time being, he’ll put down his spikes for cleats.

“If I wanted to come back to track, I’d be coming back right now,” he said. “You can’t just do a whole spring ball and then try to go run without running before that. So I think my track for this year is done.”

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As for his football career, this decision couldn’t come at a better time. Harbor is fresh off a sophomore season where he hauled in a career-high 26 catches for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Most of his production came at the midway point and onward as he tallied 325 of his receiving yards in his final seven games.

“Just got better. I’ve been running routes better. Just starting to understand the game more. Just starting to have more confidence,” Harbor said. “That was really it. I just started to feel myself.”

A big reason why Harbor started looking like the player many thought he would be? Contacts. Much like when his quarterback LaNorris Sellers notably decided to start wearing contacts a few games into last season, Harbor has done the same. He usually dons his Ray-Ban eyeglasses, but when it came to practice and games, he tried something different to help himself. You just won’t find him wearing the Rec Specs like Sellers did, though.

“I finally accepted it that I couldn’t see very well. I mean, I could see but not the best that I could,” he said. “So you put the contacts in and you see everything — it’s like a whole new world. … I feel like that was the best decision I made.”

Much like last year, South Carolina will go into the new season without a true No. 1 receiver. Given that Harbor’s full focus is on football, that could help him take the next step and be that top target for the Gamecocks.

Harbor is also one of the oldest guys in that room, even though he’s only a junior. A good majority of the receivers on the roster are underclassmen, with five being true freshmen. While he’s going to be competing for targets this year, he’s also aware of his veteran status and how he can help the younger players come along.

“Everybody’s just competing for a spot. So we’re just gonna help the young guys as much as we can. If they’re messing up, we’re gonna tell them what’s wrong,” Harbor said. “… I’m gonna help the young guys as much as I can like I’m doing. Like today, some things happen, you just have to correct them on it. They’re in high school still. They’ve got to get their feet wet, so I’m going to help them as much as I can.”

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