LSU to Add Ex Ole Miss Defensive Lineman Zxavian Harris

LSU is expected to land former Ole Miss star defensive lineman Zxavian Harris following a brief NFL stint with the New Orleans Saints. The move provides head coach Lane Kiffin with a late veteran boost ahead of the 2026 season opener.

Harris is taking advantage of a recent Louisiana court ruling that granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA for a group of 33 athletes from the Class of 2022, restoring a fifth year of college eligibility even after signing with NFL teams.

The 6-foot-8, 330-pound defensive tackle spent three seasons playing under Kiffin at Ole Miss before going undrafted in 2026. The New Orleans Saints signed Harris as an undrafted free agent, but waived him on Aug. 8 while he recovered from March foot surgery that kept him out of practice.

His addition addresses a major depth concern along LSU's interior defensive line, which returned just 31% of its snaps from last year. Prior to Harris' arrival, the Tigers faced the prospect of relying heavily on incoming freshmen and transfers in the trenches.

Harris was a key contributor during his senior campaign at Ole Miss, recording 58 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, and 3.0 sacks while starting all 15 games and helping lead the Rebels to a school-record 13 wins and a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. Over his collegiate career, he has accumulated 123 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks across 52 games.

The defensive lineman previously expressed frustration over Kiffin's late-season departure from Ole Miss to Baton Rouge prior to the Rebels' bowl appearance.

"When Kiffin was there, he was telling us like almost every day, don't believe the rumors," Harris said during the NFL Scouting Combine in February. "Like, he's not gonna leave, to keep us focused. But by the time it came, everybody was starstruck.

He told us not to believe the rumors. We should have believed it, and he just left out of nowhere."

Despite that public rift, the two figures have mended relations as Harris joins a growing list of former NFL prospects heading to Baton Rouge. Harris marks the third player from the Class of 2022 to join LSU via the recent court ruling, following former Notre Dame player Junior Tuihalamaka and former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright, who committed after being waived by the Cleveland Browns.

Addressing the team's aggressive recruiting strategy during a media availability on Monday, Kiffin defended utilizing the legal injunctions to rebuild the Tigers' roster.

"Through (players) winning injunctions and entry into the portal, they are available to recruit," Kiffin said. "Ourselves and many places around the country are recruiting them... Because of the rulings, they are going to play for you or someone else.

We made the decision to recruit them. It’s wrong to be critical of these kids. They were granted a fifth year and a judge said they were wronged."

LSU enters its first season under Kiffin ranked 13th in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. The Tigers are preparing for their season opener against Clemson with a drastically revamped interior defensive line.