Ole Miss Athletics
By Hunt Palmer
The answer will never truly be known, but Lucas Carneiro’s right leg may have kept Ole Miss afloat.
As his 47-yard field goal split the Caesars Superdome uprights to beat Georgia, some things may have changed in Oxford.
One thing certainly did. As opposed to the Rebel season ending, there were at least seven more days. Over the course of those seven days, Ole Miss was able to lay the groundwork for some of its key players to return as opposed to head to Baton Rouge with Lane Kiffin.
Many made that decision. Some still followed. One of those was Devin Harper.
WHAT WE KNOW
Harper is a Shreveport native. He starred at Captain Shreve before transferring to Calvary Baptist and was called a four-star recruit by every major service. On3 dubbed him the No. 3 offensive tackle in the country.
He committed to LSU in early February of 2024 and flipped to Ole Miss on November 16. He signed with the Rebels a month later.
At 6-foot-4 and 315 lbs., Harper has the versatility to play guard and tackle. He played in six games for the Rebels as a true freshman, logging 57 snaps at right tackle and seven more at left tackle. He got on the field for 10 snaps in the College Football Playoff rout of Tulane.
Harper was a late flip from Ole Miss in the portal window and chose LSU like Winston Watkins, TJ Dottery and Princewill Umanmielen. He had signed a revenue sharing deal with the Rebels which meant LSU owed Ole Miss a buyout for his transfer.
He has three seasons of eligibility remining.
THE FIT
Because of his talent and versatility, Harper is an excellent fit for a retooled LSU offensive line.
Jordan Seaton will man the left tackle spot. Braelin Moore will play center, and Harper will be in the mix for the other three spots. Weston Davis is the incumbent at right tackle, but he’ll have a battle on his hands.
Harper was considered a likely starter for Ole Miss at one of the tackle spots in 2026. He’s now playing for a different offensive line coach, but the head coach is the same. Even if Davis wins the job, Harper is a strong candidate at either guard spot where Maryland transfer Aliou Bah is the most likely starter on one side.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
Harper is more than likely a starter on LSU’s 2026 line, and I think he’s a likely tackle starter at some point in his LSU career.
My projection is that he wins the right tackle job, but it wouldn’t at all be stunning to see Davis hold the right tackle spot and Harper play left guard. Bah was a right guard at Maryland.
Offensive line coach Eric Wolford will have all of spring to identify his best five players and sort them properly.
Kiffin said on Wednesday that the offensive line must gel more so than any position on the field in his offense. Harper has a leg up on the playbook as the only Ole Miss transfer in the offensive trenches.
Because of the tempo and pace LSU will play will, he’s way ahead of the game.
Harper’s time may come in the opener against Clemson, later in the 2026 season or in 2027, but he’s a very, very likely contributor at LSU and a potential star.
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