Nyck Harbor Shaken Up in Second Quarter Against Kent State, Returns for Third
South Carolina’s star wide receiver Nyck Harbor looked shaken up late in the second quarter of the season opener on Sept. 5, after his helmet collided with a Kent State player’s helmet. Harbor did not play the remainder of the quarter but returned to the field for the start of the third quarter.
At the time of the collision, South Carolina led 22-0. The contact occurred while Harbor was blocking on the perimeter. He didn’t need help getting up and walked off the field on his own, though he looked a little shaky afterward.
Head coach Shane Beamer’s offense continued to roll on that drive regardless, capping it with a 29-yard receiving touchdown from sophomore wide receiver Donovan Murph. Harbor remained on the sideline during that stretch and did not go into the medical tent, instead standing with his helmet on next to receivers coach Mike Furrey.
Nyck Harbor’s Season Context
Harbor enters this season as Beamer’s top receiver, coming off a 2025 campaign in which he posted a team-high 618 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The 6-foot-5 speedster, now in his fourth year with the program, truly broke out as a starter last season and opened this year’s opener in the same role, lining up alongside DJ Black and Mazeo Bennett Jr.
Through the first two quarters against Kent State, Harbor had 58 yards on four catches, trailing only Black, who led the team with a game-high 68 yards at that point in the contest.
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