He’s got an appetite for destruction.
Damon Harrison, a mammoth defensive lineman for the Jets, is making a name for himself on the football field, but it’s his nickname — “Snacks” — that’s making Gang Green nation hungry for more.
“I hated it at first. Just being a bigger guy, you’re kind of sensitive about your weight,” Harrison told The Post. “So having the nickname Snacks and having everybody calling me Snacks, I didn’t like it at first.
“But it’s growing on me now.”
Defensive-line coach Karl Dunbar first dubbed Harrison “Big Snacks” — a bit of reverse psychology to get the big man to lose weight.
To help drive his point home, Dunbar would leave Rice Krispies treats on Harrison’s desk every meeting as a reminder to trim down.
But “Big Snack” had already been claimed as a nickname by ex-Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton, so head coach Rex Ryan has taken to calling Harrison simply Snacks.
Either way, it’s working. Harrison’s gone from 365 pounds to 333 since arriving last year as an undrafted free agent.
“I always thought if you eat less, that will help you out more. But no, it’s actually the opposite — the more you eat of smaller portions, it’ll help you lose weight,” he said.
Of course, temptations abound for the 24-year-old, who recalled being a big-boned youngster in Louisiana.
“I was always husky as a kid; that’s what all my pant sizes said,” he said.
Some of his favorite snacks include jambalaya, gumbo and chicken.
“I’m a fried-chicken guy, so any time I can sneak some fried chicken in there, I take total advantage of it,” he admitted. “But part of being a professional is being able to control what you eat and just being able to be in charge of your own body.”
Harrison came to the Jets by way of Iowa’s William Penn University, where his feasts would make Henry VIII envious.
“At William Penn, it was just like a buffet — three meals a day and you can just eat however much you want — and I took full advantage of that,” he said
He entered William Penn at 250 pounds and gained about 100 more.
Last year, he played in five games and recorded no tackles. But in just two games this year, the soft-spoken mountain man has already tallied six solo tackles, and is eyeing more Sunday afternoon when the Jets host the Bills at MetLife Stadium.