12:30 pm Update: We're about 30 minutes out. I'm flipping my futurecast back to South Carolina, but I don't feel confident in any way about that. I'll go down with the ship on what I originally said in August, despite the flip flopping of several sources I've gotten all day today. What I can say is I don't think the Gamecocks chances are dead here, though I did think so just a couple of hours ago due to really solid intel. The intel wasn't wrong, South Carolina has just continued to push and turn the tide. Definitely a fun ride with some suspense for the 1 PM announcement. I won't be totally surprised either way, despite the momentum seemingly swinging toward Oregon from everything I've heard. The Gamecocks continued to claw and fight til the very end on this I assure you, which is why I'm still not totally sure what's about to happen. These sorts of unknown choices are pretty rare in today's recruiting world, so at the very least I'm kind of happy we get some NSD drama. This is probably my final update. Enjoy the show. 1 pm, ESPN
11 am Update: We're just over an hour away from Harbor's commitment, and I've continued to ask around to attempt to get a grasp on what to expect at 1 pm. My understanding is that as of this morning, South Carolina's staff is not feeling as optimistic about landing Harbor as perhaps they did yesterday. I do know that they haven't given up and will continue to push until the very end, but there's a sentiment both nationally, and within the SC program that this one has perhaps shifted. I'm not ruling out a last second miracle, especially with how spotty info has been on this one, and I truly think South Carolina should be commended for how difficult of a decision they have made this for Harbor despite him having options from literally every major school in the country (70+ offers). All that said, I've flipped my futurecast from South Carolina to Oregon. Believe me, this is one I hope I am wrong on, but most signs this morning have pointed me in that direction. Don't read this as there is zero chance he picks South Carolina, but at this point, I'm to the point where that would be more surprising to me than the alternative.
If this is an attempt for the Harbor family to build suspense leading up to the announcement, then they successfully duped a lot of people, including folks within the Gamecock program.
Original Update (8:39 AM): While my confidence grew throughout the day yesterday for South Carolina, I did start to waver a bit
last night when I told you folks that Phil Knight had personally met Harbor on his official visit to Eugene. We got that info from Rivals' affiliate Ducks Sports Authority, and I can share a little bit more about the specifics now.
According to Oregon staff writer Scott Reed: "I know fans from other schools think he is Oregon's version of John Ruiz, but he's not. He is not haphazardly throwing money around to buy players, but as I said about Harbor (and Pleasant) there are two HS football players who have 'earned' decent NIL deals as track athletes based on their performances thus far. The philanthropist was more excited to talk about the new science building and share a vision with Harbor and his family.
Harbor wants a course of study that would be good for moving toward a medical program in the future (some call it a Pre Med major, but that is a sort of misnomer, Pre Med is an area of focus not a major at most schools), the science department has seen a big boost with the new Knight Center and that was very appealing to Harbor and everyone who made the trip with him."
My South Carolina prediction has always been hedged around the idea that this isn't coming down to a NIL bidding war. There are still reasons beyond just NIL that also make sense for a track star to get affiliated with Oregon and Nike here too. I felt good about the Gamecocks' chances yesterday assuming it was down to Oregon and SC like many people thought, mostly because of the distance to Eugene, and the fact that Harbor's mom, whose opinion he seems to value, didn't make the trip out to Oregon. Meanwhile, South Carolina's staff has worked tirelessly on the relationship aspect, and Columbia isn't too far away from D.C., especially relative to Oregon. I have also been told that South Carolina feels good about what they can offer NIL-wise, but if it really did come down to the pure numbers, the Gamecocks don't have mega-donors in the Phil Knight tier.
Don't hear what I'm not saying. I still don’t truly know, but where maybe last night I felt 65% sure it would be South Carolina, I'm much closer to 50/50 now, and perhaps would even be at like 55% Oregon. Because of how closely the Harbor's have played this, I've heard it's possible that the various coaching staffs themselves might not find out until we all do at 1 pm, so while I trust the sources that are feeling a little optimistic towards Oregon this morning, I still doubt anyone knows with certainty.
If anything changes before 1 pm, I will of course let you know.
n.rivals.com
southcarolina.rivals.com
