* Archbishop Carroll's Nyckoles Harbor during a game over the 2022 football season
Photo Credit: Jack Gruber/USA Today
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Centered among the 120 or so athletes selected for the exclusive Under Armour All-America Next football showcase on Tuesday in Orlando, Florida were a wide array of track and field standouts.
Naturally, the talents of America's top young football stars had transferred over to track and field.
But perhaps unlike any other year, this one featured three bonafides.
There was the 6-foot-5 Nyckoles Harbor, the 5-star edge-rusher from Washington, DC who moonlighted as a tight-end on Tuesday and had run times of 10.28 and 20.76w a year ago.
Next was 4-star Rodrick Pleasant, California's top 100m talent in 2022 and the owner of the state's all-time record at the distance, which he achieved last year in 10.14 seconds.
And lastly, there was the eventual MVP of the game, Zachariah Branch of Bishop Gorman, a 5-star wide receiver.
On Tuesday, Branch zigged, and then he zagged, and then he eventually took a punt return back some 90 yards for a TD on a night when only three touchdowns were scored and his Phantom team won 14-7. He also caught seven passes for 29 yards.
His breakout speed, though, really shouldn't have been a surprise.
Two years ago, he lit up the national track and field community.
He clocked wind-legal times of 10.33 (+1.3) in the 100m -- it was ranked fourth in the sophomore class -- and 21.80 (+1.7) in the 200m, not to mention an FAT time of 21.01 (+3.6) on top of it.
As a sophomore, he was just three hundredths of a second shy of breaking a Nevada state 100m record.
Branch likely won't run track in college. But Pleasant and Harbor just might.
Undoubtedly, these three athletes, all unsigned and uncommitted, represent the future in collegiate football.
But in another world, all three could qualify for NCAA Track and Field Championships, too.
Harbor especially so. The towering big man just barrels down a straightaway. At his most physically dominant, most see him challenging the NFHS record of 10.13 seconds in the 100m.
On Tuesday, Team Phantom had him split out, running routes as a tight end.
Pleasant, meanwhile, got reps at CB, on a night when the opposing team's top quarterback threw for only 100 yards.
Last year, he was just a hundredth of a second away from tying the NFHS national record.
The cornerback from Gardena Serra is something of a regional star in California, too, with his own clothing line.
All three are nearing the National Letter of Intent period for football players. That date opens on Feb. 1.
Where will they go?
The better question: Will any of the three run track and field in college?
| name | hs | ms rank | 247 rank | 100m | pos. | aa team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyckoles Harbor | Archbishop Carroll (DC) | 8 | 5-star | 10.28 | Edge | Phantom |
| Zachariah Branch | Bishop Gorman (NV) | NR | 5-star | 10.33 | WR | Phantom |
| Roderick Pleasant | Junipero Serra (CA) | 2 | 4-star | 10.14 | CB | Phantom |
Related Links:
The top 50 recruits in the Class of 2023 (boys)