Ole Miss is being represented by several players at the NFL Scouting Combine, including Zxavian Harris - who didn't hold back when asked about Lane Kiffin's decision to move to LSU
21:55 ET, 25 Feb 2026
Lane Kiffin controversially left Ole Miss for LSU before the end of the college football season
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Lane Kiffin controversially left Ole Miss for LSU before the end of the college football season(Image: Getty Images)
Lane Kiffin’s switch from Ole Miss to LSU rubbed many the wrong way — and Zxavian Harris is no different.
Having led Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff, Kiffin sensationally announced he was leaving the program to join LSU. The 50-year-old signed a seven-year contract worth $91 million to head to Baton Rouge, becoming the second-highest-paid coach in college football.
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The outspoken head coach was booed as he departed University-Oxford airport, and recruits began flipping commitments in the wake of Kiffin’s hire. As the NFL Scouting Combine starts in Indianapolis, one of his former players has pulled back the curtain on what it was like from the perspective of the locker room.
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Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Harris lashed out at Kiffin. He accused the head coach of lying to the team, bringing his half-decade in charge of the program to an unceremonious end.
“When Kiffin was there, he was telling us, like almost every day, don’t believe the rumors,” Harris told reporters. “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.”
Without Kiffin, Ole Miss — who promoted Pete Golding to head coach given the predicament — went on a run in the playoffs. The Rebels secured a 41-10 win over Tulane in the first round of the CFP, then won the Sugar Bowl 39-34 against Georgia in New Orleans.
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Zxavian Harris spoke out against Lane Kiffin at the Combine on Wednesday
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Zxavian Harris spoke out against Lane Kiffin at the Combine on Wednesday(Image: Getty Images)
However, rumors suggested that, ahead of the clash with Georgia, Kiffin would be in the broadcast booth for the game. While it didn’t come to pass, Harris and the team had heard about their former coach’s behavior.
“The week before we played, they were telling me that he was trying to be on the top booth, trying to, like, announce it, and knowing him, me knowing Kiffin since my freshman year, like, he’s just trying to troll, for real,” Harris added. “That’s how him and the internet works.”
Ole Miss eventually fell to Miami in the Fiesta Bowl, ending an impressive postseason showing given the context. Harris finished the season with three sacks and nine tackles for loss.
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Kiffin has messed with his former school in various ways. Along with the "troll" attempt, Kiffin reportedly stated he would not look to raid the team in the transfer portal and take players with him - only to bring in star linebacker TJ Dottery for a visit.
He also tried to bring in Ole Miss' best pass-rusher in Princewill Umanmielen. LSU will take on Ole Miss will face off against each other in 2026.