The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1482097
NOVEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 49 BY EJ HOLLAND I t's hard not to notice Nyckoles Harbor. Despite a uniform dress code at Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll High, Harbor stands out from the student body population with his fashionable sweater and high-end dress shoes. And, oh yeah, he also happens to be 6-foot-5, 225 pounds with 10.22 speed in the 100-meter dash. No football prospect in the recruit- ing service era has been as captivating as Harbor. To be that size and that fast is a downright anomaly. Even national college football insider Bruce Feldman is already keeping a close eye on Harbor for his re- nowned freaks list. "The feeling I have coaching Nyck is probably equivalent to the feeling LeBron James' coach had when he coached him in high school," said Carroll head coach Robert Harris. "You don't see this type of kid too of- ten. He's my Halley's Comet. When it comes around, everybody notices it. He's 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and runs a 10.2 100 meters. I've never seen that. He's also a 4.0 student and National Honor Society member." When asked if he could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, Harbor quickly answered the North Pole. Harbor, who celebrated his 17th birthday in September, doesn't think like most high school se- niors. He's straight out of Dreamville and ready to go toe-to-toe with the giants. And that means doing what very few have ever done. Sure, names like Jim Thorpe and Bob Hayes come to mind when you think of an Olympian who also played in the NFL. But Harbor is much taller and bigger in stat- ure. The only real comparison for Harbor on the track side might be the best to ever do it — 6-foot-5, 205-pound Usain Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist. Many pundits and fans want to see Har- bor stick with one sport. Yes, he's thought about it. The monetary benefits of being a first-round NFL Draft pick certainly out- weigh being an Olympic sprinter. "Nyck talked to me about his compari- son as a track star and as a football player, and the comparison he used was Usain Bolt and Chase Young," Harris said. "He understands the difference between being FOOTBALL RECRUITING With a rare combination of size and speed, Harbor is a five-star athlete who could line up and play a number of positions, on either side of the ball. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD Nyckoles Harbor Aims To Excel On The Gridiron And The Track, And In The Classroom