When Nyck Harbor entered the 2024 offseason, the South Carolina wide receiver faced a career-defining choice: keep splitting time between football and track and field, or commit fully to becoming the go-to target head coach Shane Beamer envisioned.
Harbor — a two-time Gatorade Boys Track and Field Player of the Year in Washington, D.C. — ultimately chose football. For the first time since arriving in Columbia in 2023, he skipped both the indoor and outdoor track seasons, giving him an uninterrupted year to focus solely on the gridiron. That included his first-ever spring practice with the Gamecocks.
The decision came on the heels of a sophomore campaign where Harbor posted career highs with 26 receptions for 376 yards, leading all returning players in receiving yards from 2024.
“I finally had a whole year to learn the position, to be with Coach (Mike) Furrey, to be with the guys,” Harbor said in July. “You know, day by day I’m just trying to learn something that I didn’t know yesterday.”
Harbor’s transition to wide receiver is still relatively new. At Archbishop Carroll High School, he lined up primarily at defensive end and tight end. His speed and athleticism even earned him an invite to the 2024 USA Track & Field Olympic Trials for the Paris Games — a reminder of just how much he was sacrificing to focus on football.
Beamer acknowledged the weight of that decision.
“He’s not just your everyday, ‘I’m gonna go run the track team and have a good college career.’ Like he could have run in the Olympics,” Beamer said. “And to give that up, to solely focus on football, that’s hard to give up one of those loves. And what I’ve seen is him give up that love and then pour all that energy and emotion and just pour it into football.”
Harbor even shared his story with teammates, illustrating the level of commitment required to chase his football dreams. His work ethic since making the switch has been impossible to ignore.
“He’s having fun out there. You can see it. Just the plays he makes,” Beamer added. “Special teams, he’s another one we watch him cover kicks as well. So he’s a big guy that can run, as you guys know, and he’s worked really, really hard, and I’m proud of him, because that’s not an easy decision to make.”
The respect for Harbor’s dedication is shared in the receivers’ room, where teammate Mazeo Bennett has taken notice.
“I’m so happy for him. I’m so proud of him, just seeing him every day,” Bennett said. “When he put down track, a lot of people don’t know, but I mean, that was his love, you know? He put down one love to go chase another love, and for him to do that and put in the work and tune in on his small details and stuff, it’s just so, so happy for us to see as a wide receiver room.”
For Harbor, the choice meant leaving behind Olympic-level potential — but the payoff could be a breakout season in garnet and black.
