'Strictly Business!' Rebels' WR Tre Harris Ready to Prove Himself In SEC
To no one's surprise, the Ole Miss Rebels and coach Lane Kiffin have found plenty of gems in the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason to help bolster their offense.
After three seasons in Conference USA with Louisiana Tech, wide receiver Tre Harris arrives in Oxford hoping to prove himself in the SEC, and it seems he's got a head start on fitting in.
Way back in the 2021 season opener while with Louisiana Tech, Harris got a taste of the SEC in Starkville in a game against Mississippi State. His Bulldogs lost 35-34, but he was hooked on the atmosphere of the SEC.
“That was eye-opening,” Harris said. “Hearing all those cowbells, it was crazy. I knew from that point on, ‘Yeah, I have to be (in the SEC). I have to.’ I knew I had to get to the SEC at some point. They were playing a non-conference team. I knew once they got to conference play, it was probably twice as loud and the atmosphere is twice better.”
Harris appeared in 24 games while at Louisiana Tech, hauling in 106 receptions for 1,527 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. The 6-2, 205-pounder will open this season at an SEC stadium, but this time as a probably likely integral part of the Ole Miss offense at Vaught-Hemingway stadium. And his excitement for his new home is apparent.
“That’s exactly what I transferred for,” Harris said. “Whenever you come into the SEC, you come here to play. It’s strictly business. I feel like this year I’ve grown into my body even more. I’ve matured even more. I’m just able to really lock in and I think this year is going to be my best year yet. I wanted to play against better competition. That was the biggest thing. I know scouts are looking at that. They’re going to look at who you are playing against.
"Two, I wanted to go somewhere where they had an experienced quarterback, a quarterback who is going into his second or third year in the offense and is really starting to know the offense and see the checks and see things even clearer. That’s exactly what we’ve got going here, especially with Jaxson (Dart). Thirdly, I wanted to go somewhere where I knew I could be a guy. I knew coming in that (former Ole Miss wide receivers) Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo were going to the draft and I knew here, they were going to have spots open and the SEC is exactly where I wanted to be. Those three things were big things for me to even enter the portal.”
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