Published May 29, 2022
Five-star Nyckoles Harbor breaks down his top seven
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Adam Friedman  •  Rivals.com
Rankings Director and National Transfer Portal Analyst
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College across the country have been fighting to get the attention of five-star Nyckoles Harbor but the Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll star narrowed his focus to seven schools when he announced his short list yesterday. Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, South Carolina, and USC all made the cut.

Harbor gave Rivals.com some insight into where each team currently stands and what his future plans could looks like.

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IN HIS OWN WORDS...

"I'm just finishing up my junior year and I'm going to start taking some visits," Harbor said. "It's the end of the year with track and field and I'm getting into the football offseason. I have over 50 offers now and it's getting a little overwhelming for my parents and me. Narrowing it down was the best thing for us and I'll have time to get in at least one visit in late June.

"Everybody in the top seven is really neck and neck at this point," he said. "I have an official visit to LSU planned for the Tennessee game in October and I'm going to see if I can get an official visit planned with South Carolina at the end of June."

Georgia- A day or two after they won the National Championship, coach Smart was in Washington D.C. to come to my school," said Harbor. "I was really surprised. He's a down to earth coach that fun and fun-loving. Georgia gives the opportunity to do both football and track and field at a high level. They're in the SEC so there would be great competition. My dad loves the outside linebackers coach, coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe. They talk Nigerian to each other."

LSU- We really like coach Cain and the defensive coordinator," he said. "My coaches and I decided this is a school I could see myself going to so we went ahead and locked in the visit. I could see myself going to any school and making a big difference on the track team too but LSU's track team and coaches are already good and they're always top contenders for everything in the NCAA Championships. It's icing on the cake to have a good track and football team."

Maryland- "Maryland has done everything they can," Harbor said. "They've seen everybody that's close to me. They've seen mom and dad. I think my mom is going to go over there one more time too. We only live 15 minutes away from Maryland but we're not over there all that much. I like what coach Locksley is doing and they're just a couple pieces away from championships. If they can get my mom on their side, they have a great shot. If they do well this season, I think they've got a really good shot."

Miami- "I haven't been there yet," he said. "Their pursuit changed when the coaching staff changed. Once coach Cristobal got there, he was recruiting me at Oregon, I got on the phone with him a couple times and we really started hitting it off. Then I got on the phone with Jason Taylor and Ed Reed, two Hall of Famers, and it seemed like things were changing down at Miami. On top of that, they're starting to get good recruits and I'm starting to like what's going on there. The vibe there is definitely changing and I think they're going to do good things this year."

Michigan- "They're probably my mom's favorite school," said Harbor. "She loves Michigan and coach Herb, the trainer. The coaching staff and her really hit it off but my dad hasn't see Michigan yet. They've talked on the phone but I'm sure he'll like it too when he can experience it. I have family that went to Michigan and they've been installing Michigan in my brain since I was eight years old."

South Carolina- "They're keeping in close contact," he said. "It was the first visit that made me want to come back so badly. When we went there the first time coach Beamer was the first person we saw. You don't always see the head coach on these visits but we saw him first and he was the first person to speak to me. He was standing outside too. That was pretty cool and something I hadn't experienced before. The visit overall was amazing. They've been in contention for the longest besides Maryland."

USC- "It was very surprising how everything that week unfolded," Harbor said. "We were out there for a week and I wasn't expecting to visit but we decided to go do since we were already there and it was very surprising how well put together everything was. Their track program is great too. Seeing guys from my area go to the west coast is a big move. You're not going to see any of your friends from home or your parents but for them to do it, that makes me believe I can do it."

RIVALS' REACTION...

Harbor is working hard not to tip his hand but he is going to take his time before announcing a commitment. There is a chance Harbor takes two official visits during the last half of June, with one of them most like going to South Carolina. After hearing Harbor's thoughts, fans of LSU, Michigan, and South Carolina should feel pretty good about where they stand with Harbor heading into the summer. USC made a big splash when he was on campus but they'll need to stay on him to make sure they keep pace. Maryland has done a great job with Harbor but there is more to be done strengthening their bonds with his family and showing results on the field. It will be very interesting to see what Harbor thinks of Georgia and Miami after he visits both campuses. Each coaching staff has set their teams up to make a big move in Harbor's recruitment if everything goes well during his visit.