Nyck Harbor has always been touted as South Carolina’s big-play receiver at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, but explosive moments from the former five-star prospect had been rare—until Sunday night.
In the Gamecocks’ 24-11 victory over Virginia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Harbor delivered the type of performance fans have been waiting for. And interestingly enough, Shane Beamer credits his son, Hunter, for helping make it happen.
With just over seven minutes remaining, Harbor hauled in a 64-yard touchdown strike from quarterback LaNorris Sellers on a post route that effectively sealed the win. USC had been clinging to a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and the long score put the Hokies away for good.
Beamer revealed that the exact play had been run in preseason camp, but at that time Sellers chose not to throw to Harbor. Offensive coordinator Mike Shula made sure that wouldn’t happen again—by sending a message through Hunter Beamer.
“Mike Shula came over to Hunter and said, ‘Hey, go tell LaNorris when we call that play to throw the post,’ and lo and behold, that’s the play that we called today, and he sure as hell threw the post on that one today for a touchdown,” Beamer said. “So credit Hunter for coaching up LaNorris on that one to throw the post.”
The catch marked the longest reception of Harbor’s young career.
“We’ve completed that ball plenty of times in practice,” Harbor said. “Now we got the shot to do it in the game. We executed real well. … I’m glad I got one for the fans.”
Harbor finished the night with a career-high 99 yards on three receptions, including that game-changing score.
“He’s a weapon,” Beamer said. “He’s just going to continue to get better. Nobody works harder.”
Much of Harbor’s progress stems from his decision to focus solely on football this offseason, shelving his track career. His teammates and coaches have raved about his development, and Sunday felt like validation of that hard work.
“It’s amazing [to] just finally go out there and just show a little glimpse of what I’ve been putting in,” Harbor said. “All that hard work, all them blood, sweat and tears into the offseason. But that’s just game number one. We’ve got 11 more games to go. Then the best thing about it is getting better each and every week.”
Harbor was targeted seven times, second-most on the team, and was responsible for nearly half of Sellers’ 209 passing yards. Sellers himself praised Harbor’s growth.
“He’s putting in the work for it,” Sellers said. “Glad he’s coming out there shining. He had a full offseason with me and the offense, just being out there and running routes and stuff. He’s more comfortable catching the ball. He just looks more natural.”
Harbor was even close to securing a two-touchdown game. Just before halftime, he appeared to snag a 9-yard touchdown in the back corner of the end zone, initially ruled good on the field. But after review, officials overturned it and ruled the pass incomplete.
“I felt like it was a catch, as we all saw,” Harbor said. “I had both feet touched down, still had the ball in my hands. Stepped out of bounds, still had the ball in my hands. Then the DB made a great play, a great effort. It is what it is. That’s what happens. I’ve got to keep control of the ball all the way to the ground now.”
Even without the second score, Sunday’s performance was a career night for Harbor—and possibly the first sign of many breakout moments to come.
