2023 Nyckoles Harbor: 6'5, 230 ATH from DC

[Bender]

With all due respect, he’s not. The hundred meter champion this year at the world championships was a guy by the name of Fred Kerley. Fred Kerley stands at 6 foot three roughly 210 pounds. Look at bolt. Not the weight, but the height. These guys are getting bigger and bigger and bigger. They are peak athletes. This kid is no different. Am I saying he’s going to get to their level? No, that’s super rare. What do I think this kids got a shot Hell yes.

The 200m champs are not getting bigger. The 100 m was decided by 0.05 seconds between someone weighing 203 lbs and someone barely weighing 172. Bolt was nowhere near 220, I posted the figures above. And Usain Bolt is the craziest freak in sprinting that has ever existed and will probably exist for some time down the road. An average to below-average starter running close to what humans theoretically can achieve.

Harbor can't compete at the top level at 235 lbs in track, regardless of 100 m or 200 m. Getting bigger does not equal getting faster. It just means athletes nowadays can move far better at high amounts of weight due to better mobility training, but it doesn't mean a 230 lbs man can compete at a professional level with sprinters who are diced to the absolute minimum amount of weight they can carry.

 

[Brooklyndee]

Different sport I’m not a huge track guy but are any of them 240 bc idk if he can keep his weight down enough to compete in the Olympics

Fair. Ok. Than is there any 6'6 230lb safeties who can't work out too heavy for fear of outgrowing the position?

 

[TRick72]

6’9” safety James Williams baby!

 

[AUcane]

Hey the kid can dream but he’s just too damn big for track haha

As a HS JR and at 230 pounds, his 200m time is ALREADY top 20 in the nation of fastest collegiate times this year. He's a freak. Is 230 his optimal weight for track? Of course not but he's plenty fast for track at his size. My guess is that he'd like to be at 225-230 for football season and then cut down to 210-215 for track season. Not sure how sustainable that is, though.,

 

[colperm]

He's an incredible athlete, but the fact that he's not all-in on football drops him way down on my list of guys we should be prioritizing

 

[KrazyCane]

Let's get the heated conversation going.

James is athletic enough to play safety in college. However, he is doing a disservice to himself in the long run.

Just watching his interview the other day, he looks frail thin. That body can easily put on 30 lbs. 6'5 255lbs. He would be a freak LB.

Just my opinion. . But he Has enough natural instinct and playmaker ability to stay at Safety in college. Prolly be similar to a Ray Ray Armstrong situation (i know James is better) but my point being, he will be moved in the NFL and probably outperform his college output.

And just to be clear, I am not calling for a position change in college.

Somebody needs to tell James that he has the frame to add weight / muscle mass and still be able to play safety at a high level. He has a naturally slim frame he wouldn’t turn into Julius peppers if he hit the weight room harder. Kam Chancellor was as big as a DE damn near playing safety he’s nowhere near that size.

 

[TC@neTC]

He's an incredible athlete, but the fact that he's not all-in on football drops him way down on my list of guys we should be prioritizing

Facts and while I admittedly know nothing about him except that he is a size-weight-speed freak with a smart family, does he have other tools?

Does he make hands catches on offense? Can he bend at the waist and get horizontal to be an effective DE?

I’m not asking him to be a finished product but there needs to more than incredible straight line speed for him to actually be a good college football player.

If someone has looked into that I’d love to know, but I’m still in “I don’t watch film until he commits” mode.

 

[JHallCanes]

Let's get the heated conversation going.

James is athletic enough to play safety in college. However, he is doing a disservice to himself in the long run.

Just watching his interview the other day, he looks frail thin. That body can easily put on 30 lbs. 6'5 255lbs. He would be a freak LB.

Just my opinion. . But he Has enough natural instinct and playmaker ability to stay at Safety in college. Prolly be similar to a Ray Ray Armstrong situation (i know James is better) but my point being, he will be moved in the NFL and probably outperform his college output.

And just to be clear, I am not calling for a position change in college.

All fair points

But I would also like to add a big mistake I see people not familiar with strength and conditioning is people suggesting that it’s always easy to just put 20-30 pounds on a kid. Not singling you out of course

His build is freakish

They may certainly have tried to add weight to him but it just isn’t happening. That happens. So even though he might appear thin, that might just be where he needs to be at right now

 

[JeddTheFisch]

Different sport I’m not a huge track guy but are any of them 240 bc idk if he can keep his weight down enough to compete in the Olympics

No sprinter is that large.

 

[JeddTheFisch]

As a HS JR and at 230 pounds, his 200m time is ALREADY top 20 in the nation of fastest collegiate times this year. He's a freak. Is 230 his optimal weight for track? Of course not but he's plenty fast for track at his size. My guess is that he'd like to be at 225-230 for football season and then cut down to 210-215 for track season. Not sure how sustainable that is, though.,

If he wants to qualify for the Olympics, that will need to become his job.

 

[SayWhat]

This kid has still yet to visit Miami, until then, our chances remain pretty non-existent.

They remain non-existent even if he visits if he chooses to run track and play football. I'd love to know what he plans on doing regarding the two sports. He won't be a DE if he does both.

 

[SayWhat]

No sprinter is that large.

Largest looking track and field guy I remember was David Oliver. He was jacked, but only 6'2 and 205 according to his bio. He was a hurdler though, WC, and bronze medalist at the Olympics. Former football player as well.

Everyone is unique, but his times would likely go up with 10 to 20 pounds lost. There's always a fine line in track and field. Sometimes it takes half a decade or more to find that sweet spot.

 

[Da Jumbo Mutombo]

All fair points

But I would also like to add a big mistake I see people not familiar with strength and conditioning is people suggesting that it’s always easy to just put 20-30 pounds on a kid. Not singling you out of course

His build is freakish

They may certainly have tried to add weight to him but it just isn’t happening. That happens. So even though he might appear thin, that might just be where he needs to be at right now

From what I heard last year, there was a conscious effort to keep weight off and stay at safety.

Haven't heard anything about it this off season tho, so you may be right.

 

[JHallCanes]

From what I heard last year, there was a conscious effort to keep weight off and stay at safety.

Haven't heard anything about it this off season tho, so you may be right.

Gotcha

Yeah wasn’t intending to argue since I don’t know the details. Just saying I’ve worked with some similar type kids and sometimes at that age the weight just doesn’t go on without changing the type of player they are

Either way, I hope it’s figured out before he gets to the NFL. You just don’t see players like him very often

 

[colperm]

Facts and while I admittedly know nothing about him except that he is a size-weight-speed freak with a smart family, does he have other tools?

Does he make hands catches on offense? Can he bend at the waist and get horizontal to be an effective DE?

I’m not asking him to be a finished product but there needs to more than incredible straight line speed for him to actually be a good college football player.

If someone has looked into that I’d love to know, but I’m still in “I don’t watch film until he commits” mode.

I'd be less concerned if he he was 6-2 / 185 lbs and in the mold of a DB/WR. But from a football standpoint, he has elite measurables for a DE/TE which makes it that much tougher to reach his full potential. There are obvious challenges to gaining/shedding weight and he seems apprehensive about getting dirty in the trenches

Not saying we shouldn't recruit him as hard as possible, just that expectations around his production on the football field should be tempered a bit.

 

[CanefaninBuckeyeland]

Obviously this dude is a physical freak, I get it, but has there been ANY indication that he's remotely interested in UM?

 

[Jassid82]

Obviously this dude is a physical freak, I get it, but has there been ANY indication that he's remotely interested in UM?

He said in an interview around mid-July that we are recruiting him the hardest by far. I agree though...im not with the "oohh-ahhh" over this kid if hes not coming to play for us. Hes a freak of nature. We get it. Now is he going to give us an OV or nah? lol.

 

[JgDaCane]

He's an incredible athlete, but the fact that he's not all-in on football drops him way down on my list of guys we should be prioritizing

Exactly how I feel on the kid. Might be a dumb question but is there like mega big bucks in track besides endorsements like there is the NFL?

 

[58straight]

I don't think people fully appreciate how tough it is to even make the Olympic track team, you have to go through the U.S. Olympic trials which are brutal a lot of football fans thought DK Metcalf could go to the Olympics if he just dedicated more time to it like it's nothing. For more perspective go watch the 2020 Olympic trials for the 100m. Kenny Bednarek ran a 9.89 and at one point was clocked at 26.4 mph and came in 4th and didn't make the team for the 100m

 

[cway313]

I don't think people fully appreciate how tough it is to even make the Olympic track team, you have to go through the U.S. Olympic trials which are brutal a lot of football fans thought DK Metcalf could go to the Olympics if he just dedicated more time to it like it's nothing. For more perspective go watch the 2020 Olympic trials for the 100m. Kenny Bednarek ran a 9.89 and at one point was clocked at 26.4 mph and came in 4th and didn't make the team for the 100m

No competent person believed DK could qualify for the Olympics at 240lbs.