OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin can deal with the injuries and stuff that always happens in fall camp. Those are expected.
It’s the stuff that happens away from the football facility like Zxavian Harris’ multiple media reports of an arrest Sunday night. Multiple media outlets have been reporting about the alleged incident all day Monday.
Harris, a native of Canton, Mississippi, was booked early Sunday night.
He appeared in 11 games last season for the Rebels and recorded 30 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack and three blocked kicks, which ranked second in the FBS. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound Harris had been projected to be in the line rotation this fall.
Harris, 20, also was arrested in July 2023 on driving under the influence charges, as well as felony fleeing and other charges. He faced internal discipline for the incident.
His defensive presence would be a hole in the line rotation, but most importantly may be those three blocked kicks. At his size and the way he can elevate it does affect kickers’ approach to the ball.
Ranked sixth in both polls, it’s a problem the Rebels don’t need for a season that has expectations not seen in a long time. The depth that has been discussed quite a bit in the off-season now may be put to the test. It is one of the things most people have used to justify the high ranking.
Ole Miss is set to kick off the season Aug. 31 at 6:30 p.m. against Furman on ESPN+. The first SEC game won’t be until Sept. 28 when Kentucky comes to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. After the opener, the Rebels will host Middle Tennessee, go to Wake Forest and wrap up the non-conference at home against Georgia Southern.
