Shane Beamer recounts wild swings before Nyckoles Harber committed

The Gamecocks scored one of the signing day pulls of the day on Wednesday when five-star prospect Nyckoles Harbor committed to South Carolina, helping solidify an excellent day for coach Shane Beamer.

It was a wild recruitment that included some twists and turns well past midnight.

“The last 24 hours, really the last 12 have taken years off of my life, to be honest with you,” Beamer said on Wednesday. “First of all there’s a lot that we, I shouldn’t say overcome, but there was a lot going on here with his situation and the schools that were recruiting him and the opportunities that those other programs presented on and off the field. The track, whatever it may be.

“So there was a lot. We were in a battle, and next door up in the team meeting room we have our core values up there and compete is one of them. We competed our butts off with this one, like everyone that we recruit.”

Nyckoles is a freak prospect with potential Olympic speed on the track and ridiculous size at 6 foot 5, 225 pounds.

He has the kind of ability that coaches don’t mind staying up all night for if there’s a chance of adding it to your roster.

“Emotion-wise, I felt good about Nyck all along. I really did. Had an amazing home visit with him last week up in DC that we didn’t walk out of there till after 11 o’clock at night when we visited with he and his family last week,” Beamer said.

“Felt really, really good. I mean he hadn’t told me he was coming, but I felt great about where we stood. All weekend, I talked to him multiple times on FaceTime Monday and (Tuesday). Went to bed (Tuesday) night feeling good. I got a message from him, audio message or what not at 2:57 a.m. today that wasn’t good.”

Shane Beamer battles to get Nyckoles Harbor committed

That 3 a.m. message made for an intense next 12 hours or so for Beamer.

“Obviously didn’t sleep after that, as well, laying in bed trying to figure out what’s going on and what not,” Beamer said. “Then this morning has been just a range of emotions back and forth trying to answer some questions. And I think for Nick — I don’t want to speak for him — but I think he all along felt most comfortable here and wanted to be here. It was just a lot of people that, in his network, that everybody was trying to get on the same page and there was a lot coming at him as a young man as well.”

Beamer was sweating the decision so much that he was in his office by himself when the decision came down, while the rest of his staff gathered nearby in a conference room.

“To see him put that hat on was a, I’ll be honest with you, a pretty emotional moment for me,” Beamer said. “Justin King asked me if I needed some privacy. He wanted the film, man, for one time I told him no. But in true Justin fashion he was lurking outside my office and then came in there as soon as he announced as well.

“So the emotions for me were certainly a whirlwind today, back and forth, good and bad.”