Washington, D.C. – A five-star athlete has also been recruited Port Nichols Taking twists and turns over the past 18 months, South Carolina has always been at or near the top of his list all the time.
So it made sense that through all the NIL talk, visits to Maryland and Michigan, a last-minute trip to Oregon and flashy facilities and Nike laces, the Gamecocks were able to weather the onslaught of other schools.
South Carolina recruited the toughest athlete Archbishop Carroll, with whom he had the best relations and eventually won.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound tight end and Olympic hopeful runner finished his recruiting Wednesday by announcing his commitment to South Carolina during a ceremony at his school.
“It’s a beamer,” Harbor said, referring to the Gamecocks’ coach. Shane Beamer. “He’s the hottest recruit in America, which everyone is learning about. It’s a great school overall and he’s building something great there. He’s looking forward to getting to the playoffs and getting up there.”
He is the No. 15 player and No. 1 athlete in the 247Sports rankings. Signing day came as the best non-committal player in the nation. From a historical perspective, Harbor is South Carolina’s seventh-highest-ever site.
Harbor was originally recruited by the schools as an athlete who could play as an edge defender or defensive lineman, or tight end.
However, since he plans to run track at a high level in college, Harbor told the schools in the fall that he wanted to play tight end in college so he could control his weight easier for the track season.
Speaking with South Carolina, he went over his bouts on offense.
With (receiver) Gus Wells and (quarterback) Spencer Rattler Going back, this will be a very dynamic offense, Harbor said. “Add me to it, and Spencer is a great quarterback, so you’re adding another dimension, another choice.
“You know they’re going to throw the rock. You know they’re going to let him throw the ball and that’s fine with me.”
As Harbor began to finalize his decision, the decision was multi-pronged and went far beyond football and track. He had many discussions with South Carolina officials about his intended major.
He said “the best of three worlds.” “The academics must be good and strong because the profession I want to do, orthopedist or neurosurgeon, must have a great science/kinesthetics specialty.”
Harbor played defensive back and tight end on Archbishop Carroll, and was required to block regularly.
He made 15 catches for 439 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 45 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks.
However, he knows he’ll have to improve on the blocking side when he heads to South Carolina because of the strength of his college players, especially on the edge of the line of scrimmage.
He said, “You have to be more physical.” “You can’t be an asshole. If you do that, you’re going to get injured. And as they get older, they get stronger. You have to use technique to catch up.”
Harbor’s situation was much different than any other recruit because of his huge potential on the track.
He’s one of the best high school sprinters in the country, and his talent is unmistakable, which he demonstrated less than two weeks ago.
Because Harbor spent the fall playing football and then participated in the Under Armor All-American Game in late December and early January, he wasn’t training much on the track.
However, that didn’t stop him from running two of the best times in the country in a pair of events.
Harbor hit the Texas Tech track with a 6.64m in the 60m before the weekend. It’s the first time the event has been held in the country this season. He also ran the 200 meters in 20.76 seconds, which is also the best time in the country with 0.18 seconds.
He also set a personal best in the 300 meters (33.90) during the January 14th event that he was using to set the Texas Tech meet.
Because of his track exploits and Olympic aspirations, Harbor took his recruiting path as seriously as his football recruiting.
When he did visits, it wasn’t just about watching the football program and talking with the football coaches. Harbor also met with the track coaches and learned about the track programs, offering each of them something unique.
South Carolina has a decorated track and field coach with Curtis Frye, who is in his 27th season. He has coached 60 NCAA champions and over 500 All-Americans.
Frey 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 trail just in time for the 2017 season.