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South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor announces return to Gamecocks

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison12/25/25dan_morrison96

South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Nyck Harbor had a major announcement on Christmas Day. He posted on social media that he’ll be returning to South Carolina for the 2026 season.

Harbor posted a minute long video on social media. In it, he sits down in a chair before highlights of himself playing come on screen. The video then returned to Harbor, who announced his return before “Let’s do it” appeared on screen. You can view that post here:

“You really thought I was going somewhere? Nah,” Harbor said. “Eight’s running it back. Let’s do it.”

Nyck Harbor played his high school football at Archbishop Carroll in Washington D.C. There, he was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023. He had been the 21st-ranked player overall and the top-ranked athlete in that recruiting cycle, landing at South Carolina.

Finishing his junior season, Harbor did have some options regarding the future. The NFL became an option, finishing up his junior season. There is also, of course, the Transfer Portal. Players need to make that decision much quicker now than in the past. There is no Spring Transfer Portal window anymore. There is only the Winter Window, which opens in January. So, once that passes, players won’t have that second opportunity to transfer.

In his three seasons at South Carolina, Harbor has played in 36 games. During that time, he has 68 receptions for 1,189 yards and 10 touchdowns. A versatile option, Harbor also has four carries for 23 yards. He’s even returned 12 kicks to a 23.9-yard average per return.

In 2025, he would break out as an explosive receiving threat. Harbor would lead the SEC in yards per catch with 20.6 for 2025.

2025 was a difficult year for South Carolina. After getting to the edge of the College Football Playoff, expectations were through the roof for South Carolina. At one point, the Gamecocks would even be ranked as high as No. 10 in the AP Poll. However, a very difficult schedule in the middle of the season proved to be too much to overcome and they’d go just 4-8 for the season and 1-7 in SEC play. Offensive coordinator Mike Shula would also be fired. Kendal Briles as since been hired to replace Shula.

The hope is that South Carolina can bounce back and be competitive again in 2026. Having Nyck Harbor return is a key piece of that puzzle.