Coach Greg Harris begins his second season as Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach in 2026 with plans to build on the late season momentum that helped propel the 2025 Blazers to their 12th Gulf South Conference Championship and 21st Division II Championship playoff appearance. Â
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As the Blazers entered the 2025 season, Harris  was required to rebuild the entire defense, to include replacing all but one of the position coaches who departed at the end of the 2024 Division II National Runner-Up season and finding replacements for players that accounted for over 80% of the Blazers defensive production in 2024 who either graduated or entered the transfer portal.  After some early season growing pains, the defense rebounded to help the Blazers close out the regular season with four straight wins and the aforementioned Gulf South Conference Championship and accompanying automatic berth in the Division II playoffs. Â
The Blazers late season success began with a homecoming victory over North Greenville University, during which the defense generated three turnovers – two fumble recoveries and one interception.  This was followed by a victory over then 21st ranked West Alabama University during which the defense forced three additional turnovers, to include a fourth quarter fumble scoop and score with two minutes remaining to seal the victory.  The winning streak reached three games when the Blazers defeated the then 21st ranked Delta State University.  After surrendering 21 first quarter points Harris’ defense held the DSU offense scoreless over the final three quarters to help secure the come from behind victory.  The Blazers captured their 12th Gulf South Championship with a thrilling overtime road win over the then undefeated and 3rd ranked West Florida University.  During the regular season ending four game win streak, the Blazer defense forced a combined 11 turnovers, six forced fumbles and five interceptions.
The 2025 season culminated with six Blazer defenders earning either first or second team all GSC Conference accolades, two earning either first or second team all Super Region Two honors, and defensive back Rance Connor being named first team All-American by Don Hansen and a second team All-American by the Associated Press, the AFCA and D2CCA.  Additionally, senior defensive back Dallas Robinson earned Honorable Mention All-American honors from Don Hansen.
Coach Harris arrived at Valdosta State with eighteen years of collegiate coaching experience in Division II, the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Harris spent the previous five seasons at Kennesaw State University, the first four years as linebackers coach and as Defensive Coordinator and outside linebackers coach for the 2024 season, KSU’s Football Bowl Sub-Division transition year. During the 2024 season Harris’ defense helped orchestrate one of the biggest upsets of the college football season as the Owls defeated the previously undefeated Liberty University Flames for the program’s first ever FBS victory.  The Owls defense held the Flames to below their season average in yardage and points in the Owls 27-24 victory.  Similarly, the Owls defense played a significant role in their other 2024 victory, a 27-26 win over Florida International University.  The defense held FIU to two second half field goals in the come from behind victory and sealed the win with an interception with 48 seconds remaining in the game.
During his five years at Kennesaw State, Harris mentored five linebackers that received postseason accolades. Most recently, Garland Benyard was named to the 2022 Phil Steele All-ASUN Conference Team after starting all 11 games and ending the year with the second-most tackles on the KSU defense.  In 2021, Harris guided linebacker Evan Thompson to one of the best defensive seasons in Kennesaw State history and a First Team All-Big South selection. In a season in which the Owls won the Big South Conference Championship and advanced to the second round of the FCS Playoffs, Thompson set a new school record for tackles in a single season (118) and became the first player in program history to record 10+ tackles in three consecutive games. During that stretch, Thompson also broke the program record for total tackles in a game when he recorded 17 against Gardner-Webb.
On his arrival at Valdosta State, Coach Harris was no stranger to the Gulf South Conference.  Prior to his move to Kennesaw State, Harris' defenses consistently ranked among the best in NCAA Division II football during his five-year tenure as Defensive Coordinator at North Greenville University, including his 2019 squad led by All-American and 2019 Gulf South Conference Defensive Player of the year Chauncey Haney, who led the league with 9.5 sacks and 16.0 tackles for loss. In 2016, Harris and his staff helped the Trailblazers to a 9-5 record, including a trip to the third round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. During the season, his defense recorded two shutouts and ranked 25th in the nation in turnovers gained.
Before his time with the Trailblazers, Harris spent the first eight years of his coaching career at Virginia Military Institute, rising from a limited earnings coach, to a position coach and finally to defensive coordinator over his final two seasons with the Keydets. During his tenure in Lexington, he mentored five All-Conference selections.
Harris is a 1996 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. in Business and Economics. During his playing career at VMI, he was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter with the Keydets and had the reputation as one of the team's best blockers in Coach Bill Stewart's two-tight end alignment that helped Thomas Haskins set a new Division I-AA career rushing mark.  As a receiver, Harris was equally effective, catching 47 passes for 431 yards and three touchdowns during his Keydet career. He served as a team captain for the 1995 season and was a Dean's List Student.
Harris and his wife Lorrie have two children, son Dakota and daughter Madelyn, and one granddaughter, Sutton.
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