Washington DC – Recruited as a five-star athlete Nicholls Port South Carolina has taken twists and turns over the past 18 months.
So with all the Neal talk, the visits to Maryland and Michigan, and the last-minute move to Oregon and the flashy facilities and Nike tie-ins, it only made sense that the Gamecocks could withstand the onslaught from other schools.
South Carolina recruited Archbishop Carroll Atlett very hard, had a good relationship with him, and eventually won.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound tight end/running back and Olympic hopeful completed his recruitment Wednesday by announcing his commitment to South Carolina during a ceremony at his school.
“It’s beamer ball,” Harbor said, referring to the Gamecocks coach. Shane Beamer. “He’s the hottest recruit in America, everybody’s learning. It’s a good school overall and he’s building a good thing there. He’s looking to get into the tournament and get up there.”
He is the No. 15 and No. 1 athlete in the 247Sports rankings. He came into signing day as the nation’s top undrafted player. From a historical perspective, Harbor is South Carolina’s seventh-highest signing.
Port was initially recruited by schools as an athlete who could play as an edge rusher, defensive lineman, or tight end.
However, since he plans to run track at a senior level in college, Harbor told schools in the fall that he wants to play tight end in college so he can keep his weight in check for track season.
When he talked to South Carolina, he went over his prowess in the offense.
“With (receiver) Juice Wells and (quarterback) Spencer Rattler Running back, this is going to be a very dynamic offense,” Harbor said. “You add me to it, and Spencer is a great quarterback, so with me you’re adding another dimension, another option.
“You know they’re going to throw the rock, you know they’re going to let him throw the ball and that’s good for me.”
As Harbor begins to finalize his decision, it is multi-faceted and goes beyond football and track. He had several conversations with South Carolina administrators about the proposed major.
“The best of three worlds,” he said. “I have to be good academically and strong because my career is what I want to do, orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon, you have to have a great exercise science/kinesiology major.”
Harbor played defensive end and tight end at Archbishop Carroll and was asked to block regularly.
As a senior, he caught 15 balls for 439 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 45 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks.
However, when he went to South Carolina, he knew that he had to improve the blocking aspect of the strength of college players, especially on the edge of the line of scrimmage.
“You have to be more physical,” he said. “You can’t be butt-legged around it. If you do that, you’re going to get hurt. They get tougher as they get older. You have to use technique to keep up with it.”
Harbor’s situation was very different from other recruits because of his great potential on the track.
He’s one of the best high school running backs in the country, and his talent is undeniable, which he showed two weeks ago.
Harbor spent the fall playing football and then didn’t train much for track as he participated in the Under Armor All-American Game in late December and early January.
However, that didn’t stop him from running the two best times in the country on two occasions.
Port lit up Texas Tech’s track record with a 6.64 in the 60 meters two weekends ago. That’s the highest time in the country this season. He ran the 200 meters in 20.76 seconds, a national best time of 18 seconds.
He also set a personal best in the 300 meters (33.90) at the event on Jan. 14, which he used to meet Texas Tech.
Because of his track exploits and Olympic aspirations, Harbor made his football recruiting almost as difficult.
When he visited, it wasn’t just to see the football program and talk to the football coaches. Harbor met with the track coaches and learned about the track programs and each offered something unique.
South Carolina has a decorated track and field coach with Curtis Frye in his 27th season. He has coached 60 NCAA championships and more than 500 All-Americans.
Frye has coached 28 Olympians and the athletes he has coached have won 14 medals. South Carolina completed the $10.3 million Morris and Sheila Krieger Track in time for 2017.