Zxavian Harris, a defensive lineman who played for Ole Miss, is expected to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to Matt Zeintz of CBS Sports. This comes after Harris played for the Rebels for four seasons and went undrafted in this year’s NFL Draft. Zeintz pointed out that Harris hasn’t ruled out a return to Ole Miss.
Zxavian Harris was one of the 16 players who were granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA on Thursday, returning for the 2026-27 college football season with a fifth year of eligibility, per On3’s Pete Nakos. The players will be allowed to enter the transfer portal.
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In May, Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. In early August, the Saints waived Harris after signing three players, including veteran linebacker Deion Jones. Ahead of the draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com shared his thoughts on Harris as a prospect.
“Harris is a disruptive, alignment-versatile interior defender with mismatch traits and untapped potential,” Zierlein wrote. “Though he lacks the contact balance/hand usage to cleanly control block engagements, he consistently recovers and often reemerges to help finish the play. He often overwhelms single blocks and disrupts run schemes from a gap away. He wasn’t asked to two-gap at Ole Miss very often, but has the tools for the task.”
Harris played a big role in Ole Miss reaching the College Football Playoff Semifinal last year. He started in all 15 games and totaled 58 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and three sacks. His best game was against Georgia in the CFP Quarterfinal, posting a career-high 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup.
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In 2024, Harris played in 13 games with starts and recorded 32 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two QB hurries, one forced fumble, and one blocked kick. During the 2023 season, Harris played in 11 games with seven starts and notched 30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.
In 2022, Harris appeared in all 13 games, rotating between special teams and defense. He posted three tackles, one tackle for loss, and one blocked kick during his freshman season. Harris played high school football at Germantown High School in Mississippi and was a four-star recruit.
