Nyck Harbor carrying momentum and confidence into 2025

Due to viral track videos and a five-star rating by his name, South Carolina two-sport standout Nyck Harbor was draped with high expectations on the football field from the moment he arrived in Columbia.

Blessed with a 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame and insane speed for someone that size, Harbor signed with South Carolina over Oregon hoping to make an instant impact. But while he did play as a true freshman, those big-play moments only came in flashes at first.

Harbor’s development on the football field was further slowed when he turned his attention to the track last spring semester, hoping to make an impact at the SEC level while also preparing for a possible run at the Olympics.

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He finished fifth at the SEC indoor track & field championships with a 20.87 clocking in the 200 meters and posted a 6.73-second 60-meter dash to place eighth.

He recorded best times during the outdoor season of 10.11 in the 100m dash and 20.20 in the 200, earning second-team All-America honors in both events.

So while his first track season at the college level was largely a success, it came at the cost of missing all of the on-field portions of spring football practice. That missed developmental time likely directly led to a slow start to the 2024 football season.

“You know, it was a lot of hard times, like at the beginning of the season, I wasn’t playing at all,” Harbor admitted in an in-depth sitdown on the GamecockClub Hour on 107.5 The Game this week. “I was playing special teams and you know mentally I was battling with myself, like is this something I really want to do? I’m not a special teams (only) player. I mean I like kickoff but it’s like that’s all you do. You don’t get no reps on offense and it’s just like man what am I doing here?

“But (wide receivers coach Mike Furrey) just always told me just buy in, buy in, buy in, buy in, and once you flip the switch, you’ll see what happens. And then just like that one day, is where I took off, and the development started to show.”

Furrey, the Gamecocks’ first-year receivers coach who both played and coached the position at the NFL level, and Harbor went to work, putting in extra time on the field and in the film room — and it began to pay off.

After a slow start to the season, his development on the practice field began to translate to the game field. Harbor’s production and snaps began to increase. So did the big plays.

“The one thing that Coach Furrey really taught me was to believe in myself—to believe that I’m the best football player, the best receiver on the field, the best receiver in the conference, and the best receiver in the country,” Harbor said. “And just look everything in. That’s what he really taught me. And just the fundamentals of every rep is 100 percent. Every practice rep is a game rep. You should kill yourself in practice, so at the game, it’s way easier. That’s the thing that I took into the most perspective, if I do this and just buy into it, it’s going to pay off.”

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Harbor credits the Alabama game and in particular his 31-yard touchdown catch in the waning minutes that put South Carolina within a two-point conversion of tying the game as a major confidence builder and jumping off point for the rest of the season.

From there, the confidence began to snowball.

Held to just seven catches for 51 yards and no touchdowns in the first five games of the season, Harbor compiled 19 receptions for 325 yards and three touchdowns in the final six, including the bowl game.

But it wasn’t just the raw numbers, Harbor began to look like more of a complete wide receiver, finding ways to get open, adding physical runs after the catch, and becoming a more complete blocker on the perimeter.

“Just using my brain that I apply in the classroom, apply it on the field,” Harbor said. “It’s like you’re going to class again. Coach Furrey, we really got down and dirty with coverages, understanding the weaknesses of all the zone spots. And me just having a feel for it and me just having a connection with 16. Me and LaNorris, we’ve just got to have that connection in the back of our minds … all of the great quarterback wide receiver duos, you’ve got to have that in the back of your mind, he knows where I’m going to be at or I know where he’s going to throw it at.”

Another key moment in the season came in South Carolina’s big win over Missouri. The Washington, D.C. native had just two catches but both were down the field for big plays, one a touchdown grab and another a key deep-ball catch into opponent territory.

After the win, came a special moment in the locker room when head coach Shane Beamer handed Harbor a game ball.

“It was a blessing,” Harbor said. “That’s the Lord right there just telling you, that’s what hard work does to you. You put in the hard work and he just rewarded me with a little spark. It was just crazy. I’ve never gotten a game ball. In high school, I don’t think they give game balls. You never really feel special and stuff. You make big plays but you see other guys get game balls and you wonder when is my time going to be? When Coach Beamer called my name, I was surprised. … I gave it to my dad and my dad’s got it on the top of our TV at home. I signed the ball. That is my first game ball and I hope I’ve got many more to come this year.”

Coming off a career-high 26 catches for 376 yards and three touchdowns this year, Harbor hopes there are plenty more catches, yards, and game balls in store for 2025.

“The bowl game, that was probably my best game, the way that game just felt,” Harbor said. “Every time we needed a spark or we needed a play, 16 called my number and I was there to answer the phone. Just that momentum and confidence you have from last season, you just bring it into this year, so I can just keep striving and go try to get 1,000 yards this year.”

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