Coach Kiffin reveals Tre Harris had knee surgery after Tulane; also updates status of Zakhari Franklin and Caden Prieskorn
OXFORD, Miss. — Two weeks ago, Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris suffered a knee injury in the first quarter against Tulane. In head coach Lane Kiffin’s Sunday press conference, he revealed Harris actually underwent surgery on the knee after the game in New Orleans.
At that point in the season when he was hurt, Harris, a transfer from Louisiana Tech, had eight receptions and five of them had gone for touchdowns.
Harris, surprisingly, was able to play against Alabama; however, his number of plays was drastically reduced as he continues to work his way back to full health. Coach Kiffin is hopeful his star receiver will be able to participate more against LSU.
“I did not think Tre was playing at all (against Alabama); he really didn’t do much (at practices this past week). He’s actually recovering from surgery and he kind of felt it and played a little bit,” Kiffin explained Sunday.
“As you can see, he was very limited in what was done with him. Hopefully he’ll get back this week, another week removed from surgery, and be able to actually play in a normal role.”
Lane Kiffin on Tre Harris
Harris has 188 yards on the season in just a little over one game played, and getting him back to full speed will be a huge boost for the Rebel offense.
Coach Kiffin also updated us on the status of wide receiver Zakhari Franklin and tight end Caden Prieskorn, who at Alabama played in their first game as Rebels.
“That was Zakhari’s first game playing. He did some good things in there, he’s a veteran that’s played a lot. Again, we played high tempo in his first game, so I expect him to improve.
Lane Kiffin on Zakhari Franklin
As for Prieskorn, he also played against the Tide and was used in a limited role.
“Prieskorn, same situation,” Kiffin noted. “He hadn’t played a play with us yet after a surgery. He pushed himself and did some good things.”
The best news for the Ole Miss offense is all three of these playmakers will improve as they are able to get more time out on the field. Having them all available to play will go a long way in helping alleviate some of the offensive struggles the Rebels have had.
“The good part is knowing those guys are all going to get better, that’s the good part going forward,” Kiffin said.
Next Up
Ole Miss and LSU kick off at 5:00 p.m. Saturday at Vaught-Heminway. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
