Ole Miss DT Zxavian Harris Named SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football took home a dominant 63-7 victory in their season opener against Georgia State Saturday.
While the offensive explosion that pushed the Rebels to 63 points was impressive, the Rebels’ defense played a major role in that as they didn’t just hold the Panthers to 7 points, but they helped win the field position battle as well.
One player for Ole Miss in particular who excelled against the Panthers was defensive tackle Zxavian Harris who was named SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week on Monday afternoon.
🏈 SEC Co-Defensive Line Player of the Week: WK 1
🔵 Zxavian Harris@OleMissFB x #SECFB pic.twitter.com/GEN0rfHqM9
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 1, 2025
Harris showed out on Saturday, recording 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack, picking up right where last year’s defensive line left off.
While all the above is definitely impressive, perhaps Harris’ most impressive feat was a wild sequence where he batted a ball at the line and intercepted it for the Rebels’ first team interception of the year.
The 6-foot-8, 330-pound Magnolia State native then got his chance to rock the rim, but proved too powerful as he snapped the basketball goal right in half with a powering slam dunk.
The entire sequence is below.
MUST WATCH
Zxavian Harris. Big man INT. Big man dunk
— Everything Ole Miss (@EverythingRebs) August 31, 2025
Harris was the only Rebel on Saturday to record a sack and the only player to record a full tackle for loss for Ole Miss. The Canton, Mississippi native is a senior who has spent his entire collegiate career in Oxford, where he has now become a veteran leader of the team.
In his time in Oxford so far, Harris has compiled 70 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and an interception.
He and the rest of the Rebels will travel to Lexington this upcoming Saturday as they look to exact revenge — that has been building for a year — against the Kentucky Wildcats at 2:30 pm CT with the country’s first head-to-head SEC matchup of the year.
Billy Kuhl
Billy Kuhl joins The Rebel Walk as a sophomore at Ole Miss majoring in Journalism with a Sports Media concentration. He is from Jefferson Township, New Jersey and graduated from Jefferson Township High School where he played varsity baseball, and soccer, and swam competitively in his summers. You can contact him at wpkuhl88@gmail.com or DM him on X @Billykuhll or instagram @Billykuhll_
