The madness keeps getting madder in the college football world, and naturally, Lane Kiffin is at the center of it all.
After reaching an agreement with former Ole Miss and Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, one where Wright will suit up LSU if he’s not picked up by an NFL franchise through the waiver wire, the Tiger head man has landed a commitment from another former Rebel and NFL hopeful.
Canton native and Germantown High School alum Zxavian Harris committed to play for LSU on Monday. Harris spent four seasons at Ole Miss and helped lead the Rebels to a historic 13 wins and College Football Playoff run in the 2025-26 campaign. In his senior season, he logged 58 total tackles (27 solo), three sacks, three pass deflections, and an interception.
Harris signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Saints in May after going undrafted in April. He spent the summer on the non-football injury list while recovering from a foot surgery he had in March and was waived by the Saints on Aug. 8. No other NFL franchise picked him up after New Orleans let him go.
Notably, Harris was vocal about Kiffin’s unprecedented departure from Ole Miss a mere two days after the 2025 Egg Bowl, while espousing full support for Rebel defensive coordinator turned head coach Pete Golding.
“Pete’s always kept it real with us, so we’re always going to keep it real with him,” Harris told SuperTalk Mississippi News after the Sugar Bowl, adding that if he had another year of eligibility, he would have stayed put in Oxford.
Harris posted on Instagram that his commitment to LSU is a “business decision.”
It is also worth noting that Ole Miss is rumored to have floated the prospect of Harris returning to the program as an offensive lineman. A source told SuperTalk Mississippi News that the staff is happy with the makeup of the defensive line and that offensive line depth is a greater concern.
Harris is one of 32 athletes currently allowed to return to college as part of a temporary restraining order a Louisiana judge issued, blocking the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules. Wright was also listed in the same legal filing. A few of Harris’ former Ole Miss teammates chimed in on his move, with star Rebel defensive tackle Will Echoles writing, “We serious??,” in an Instagram story.
Ole Miss defensive back Antonio Kite, safety Ladarian Clardy, and running back Shekai Mills-Knight even commented on Echoles’ post.
A wrinkle in the plan to bring Harris and Wright to LSU, which Kiffin admitted to partaking in to land the athletes himself instead of letting another college program beat him to the punch, would be SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey enforcing league rules prohibiting players from transferring to other conference schools outside of the designated January portal window.
LSU officials, however, believe the Louisiana judge’s order prohibits the SEC from enforcing the intra-conference transfer rule and are willing to fight the league if told the Tigers cannot add the players to the football roster.
A preliminary injunction hearing will be held in Baton Rouge on Aug. 31 to determine if the court will uphold the decision to allow the athletes to compete for a fifth season. The SEC has not yet weighed in on whether or not it will look to enforce its separate league rules.
Harris and Wright, if permitted to join the Tigers’ program, would not be the only former Rebels to join Kiffin, though it is unusual for a college program to add players this late in the preseason, as we’re under two weeks away from LSU playing its first game of the regular season.
LSU brought in former Ole Miss edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, offensive tackle Devin Harper, wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr., and linebacker TJ Dottery during the January portal cycle. Umanmielen and Harper signed revenue-sharing deals with Ole Miss prior to their jump to Baton Rouge, which has brought about a legal battle between the two players and their former institution over buyouts.
Needless to say, the Sept. 19 matchup between Ole Miss and LSU is playing out to be a drama that even the best screenwriters could not craft.