Not even Ole Miss saw this one coming.

The Rebels had been battling for months on the recruiting trail to land defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, but considering he held offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State, among many others, landing the state’s top prospect on the defensive line looked to be a long battle that could reach until signing day.

That all changed Thursday night as the Madison native pulled the trigger and committed to Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss program.

During his career at Germantown High School, Harris has been honored as an all-state player at the 6A level and has racked up 110 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in recent seasons.

The 6-foot-8, 335-pound Harris is rated as a four-star prospect, the No. 26 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 4 overall prospect from Mississippi in the 2022 recruiting cycle according to 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Following this news, Ole Miss now holds commitments from six prospects in the 2022 recruiting cycle, with Harris the highest-rated prospect currently committed to the Rebels.

To get an idea of why the Madison native is such a nightmare for opposing offenses, check out his junior season highlight reel with Germantown High School.

To display what a surprise commitment this was for Ole Miss, check out the reaction from the program’s associate director of recruiting this morning: