OXFORD — Tre Harris admitted Tuesday the the decision that hung over his head this season weighed on him.

The plan when Harris arrived in Oxford a year ago after transferring from Louisiana Tech was simple — dominate the Southeastern Conference, raise his NFL draft stock and then embark on a professional career.

Through mid-September, everything was going swimmingly. Then he suffered a knee injury early in the Rebels’ Week 3 win at Tulane. It was mid- to late-October before he felt like himself again. Still, the decision loomed, an omnipresent thought as he helped Ole Miss to a 10-2 season and a berth in the Dec. 30 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl versus Penn State.

“It was challenging, for sure,” Harris said. "It was in the back of mind throughout the season, but as the season came to a close, it definitely got bigger and bigger in my mind.”

Harris ultimately decided to return for another season in Oxford.

“For me the biggest thing was to come back with a lot of the offense and still be able to improve my skill set, and that’s definitely something I feel like I can do here,” Harris said. “I’m comfortable with my teammates. I’m comfortable with the coaches. I’m comfortable with the quarterback, and on top of that, we’ve got the 12-team playoff. We want to win a championship. Those were the biggest factors for me coming back.”

Harris’ decision is one multiple teammates also made. Wide receiver Jordan Watkins, defensive linemen JJ Pegues and Jared Ivey and others have elected to return for another season. Running back Ulysses Bentley IV has hinted at the same.

“Everybody was talking to each other,” Harris said. “Everybody was trying to figure out where everybody’s head was at, trying to see what they were really trying to decide. We all saw how the season went this year. We felt life if we do it again, we know we could go farther. That was the biggest thing. We all pretty much came to one (conclusion) — ‘Hey, if we do it one more time, we know what we’re going after.’ This year we didn’t really get what we wanted, which was an SEC championship and being a playoff team. Next year improves our chances with 12 teams and we pretty much came to the thought of, ‘Hey, let’s do it again. Let’s run it back.’”

Despite missing time and being limited during the middle of the season, Harris still caught 47 passes for 851 yards and eight touchdowns.

“It was difficult being out there and not being able to produce like I wanted to produce,” Harris said. “At the end of the day, we still went out there and got a W. That’s all I was trying to do — contribute to my team and try to go out there and get a W.

“I feel like I definitely started out on the fast track and I feel like that (injury) set me back a little bit but that was God’s plan. God wanted me to stay another year so I’m staying another year. I want to prove that, hey, I’m that guy.”

One teammate who has not publicly stated his intentions for next season is quarterback Jaxson Dart. Harris, who grew up in Alexandria, La., as a lightly-recruited quarterback, has become fast friends with Dart, a Utah native who blossomed into a highly-coveted signal-caller late in his prep career. The two are roommates on the road and their families have grown close over the past 11 months.

“It’s grown immensely over this entire year,” Harris said, referring to his relationship with Dart. “Just being able to have that chemistry with him is huge. All of that plays a part on the field. It’s huge if he comes back, but after this game, we’ll see the decision that he makes. I’ll support him regardless.”

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin inadvertently said Dart was returning for 2024, and despite Dart’s refusal to say as much publicly, that is the widespread expectation as the Rebels prepare for the Nittany Lions.

And if that’s the case, Harris said, the Rebels should be dangerous in 2024. They’ll have a veteran wide receiver room that has been bolstered through the transfer portal, presumably another year with All-SEC running back Quinshon Judkins and a veteran quarterback Harris believes is a game-changer.

Harris pointed to the aforementioned Tulane game on Tuesday. He watched from the sidelines as Dart guided the Rebels back from trouble in New Orleans and to a signature win that set the tone for the season.

“That game itself really showed who Jaxson is as a quarterback, as a player and as a leader,” Harris said. “He really carried us on his back that game. I feel like he did everything he could.”