Nyck Harbor's spring football schedule
South Carolina’s Nyckoles Harbor is currently juggling responsibilities for two sports right now.
As expected when he signed with the Gamecocks as a five-star athlete out of Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C., Harbor has played football and run track during his time in Columbia.
After a freshman season in which he caught 12 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown on the gridiron, Harbor has turned his attention to the track.
It’s gone well, too.
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Harbor posted a 20.86 second time in the 200-meter dash over the weekend at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational, placing first in the event.
Speaking to the media during a press conference on the opening day of spring practice, Shane Beamer addressed how much time the sophomore will be spending with the football program.
“His primary focus right now is track and trying to win championships for our track team,” Beamer said. “And then there’s also the summer Olympics coming up as well, which I do believe is a very real possibility for him, potentially.”
Along with his duties practicing and competing for the track program, Harbor will still have a presence with football.
On Tuesday, for instance, he was observing practice, sometimes standing alongside Beamer.
“He will be with football when it doesn’t interfere with track and when it doesn’t interfere with his class schedule,” Beamer explained.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Harbor has class but will typically be able to participate in morning meets.
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There’s a heavier class load on the other three weekdays, and Harbor is sometimes traveling with track.
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In addition to the time management factor – two sports and academics – a careful approach has to be taken when mixing sports like track and football just from a physical standpoint.
A banged-up SEC football player has a harder time being a high-level SEC sprinter.
“We won’t have him out there necessarily practicing and getting hit where it prevents him from running in a track meet on Saturday. We don’t want that,” said Beamer.
Beamer met with the track and field staff late last year and collaborated with that sport’s head coach, Tim Hall, to collaborate.
Said Beamer: ” want him to be able to be the greatest track student athlete he can be this spring and win championships, but I also want him to get better as a football player without it taking away from track. So I think we have a good plan.”
