The best of both worlds: 5-star Nyckoles Harbor discusses interest in Oregon

Five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor has been the talk of the college football recruiting world the past couple of weeks. He is one of the few remaining  highly ranked players in the 2023 class who is unsigned ahead of signing day on Feb. 1.

Harbor recently made waves in Oregon by announcing he planned to come to Eugene on an official visit at the end of the month, the last weekend before signing day. This past week at the Under Armour NEXT All-American Game, Harbor talked about how his recruitment is narrowing, according to On3.

“I don’t really have a final list, but I guess you can put Maryland, South Carolina, USC, Oregon and Michigan,” Harbor said. “The main three factors going into the decision are academics, athletics and track. That’s it.”

While the Ducks entered the race late, and may not be seen as the leader in the clubhouse to land Harbor, the world-renowned track program at Oregon is sure to tip the scales a little bit. Harbor also has been impressed by what Dan Lanning is doing on the recruiting trail with the Ducks.

“You see what he did during the early signing period. He was flip-flopping everybody,” Harbor said. “I feel like they also have the best of both worlds in terms of football and track.”

Leading up to Harbor’s visit, it will be interesting to see how the situation play out, particularly when it comes to Michigan and Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines are arguably the leaders to land Harbor, but if the head coach leaves, that may change things.

Nyckoles Harbor Recruiting Profile

The Oregon Buzz

The Oregon Ducks entered the recruitment for Nyckoles Harbor very late, but that’s not always a negative thing. It’s clear Dan Lanning and his staff are working as hard as they can to sell Harbor on the Ducks, and the fact they got him to schedule a visit to Eugene for the final weekend before signing day is significant.

So do the Ducks have a real shot at landing Harbor? Absolutely. Are they the front-runners in his recruitment? No, but that could change.

At the moment, many signs point toward the five-star committing to the Michigan Wolverines. However, with the future of head coach Jim Harbaugh in question, there’s a reach chance Harbor cools on that idea.

That’s why the final visit to Oregon is so important. Lanning and the Ducks will have the final opportunity to get in front of Harbor and sell him on their vision. We’ve seen that lead to results in the past, particularly in the Josh Conerly and Austin Novosad instances.

Highlights

Ratings

Vitals

Top Schools

• Oregon Ducks

• South Carolina Gamecocks

• Michigan Wolverines

• USC Trojans

• Maryland Terrapins

Recruitment

• Received offer from Oregon on May 4, 2021

• Will visit Eugene in January 2023

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire