Florida Atlantic · W 48-41
5 tackles
The other 7 games average 8 tackles. This one was 3 below.
Zakye Barker
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for three head coaches across four seasons and three programs. The first career honor came in 2024: All-AAC. On tape: 13 tackles against Tulsa, Week 5, 2026.
60 tackles · 2 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
60 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Texas | 60 | 19 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2 |
| 2025 | SMU | 27 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 81 | 26 | 12.0 | 1.5 | 1 |
| 2023 | East Carolina | 21 | 13 | 2.5 | 0.0 | -- |
| Career | 189 | 69 | 17.0 | 3.5 | 4 |
Last game (Wk 9): 5 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-52@ No. 6 Indiana | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 44-6vs UNLV | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 35-49@ Texas State | 8 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 63-14vs Houston Christian | 6 | 1 | 2.0 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 45-44@ Tulsa | 13 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 13 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 50-10vs Charlotte | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 49-39@ Navy | 12 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 48-41vs Florida Atlantic | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 60 | 19 | 2.5 | 2.0 | — | 2 |
Oct. 29 · W 48-41 vs Florida Atlantic, play by play
5 tackles. He hurried the quarterback twice.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, 2 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How North Texas’s defense played that day
Florida Atlantic’s 12 drives: 5 stopped (2 takeaways) · 7 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 8. His hurry came with North Texas up 3.
A big game: 12 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 13 tackles, including 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 12 of his 13, sacks included.
6 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack. His sack on 4th and 2 ended Houston Christian’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 7 for him; the box score credits 6.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 4th and 2. Second quarter, up 28-14. Ended Houston Christian’s drive (downs).
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 5-yard loss on 3rd and 7. First quarter, tied 0-0.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 4 · 2026
W 63-14
1.5 sacks · 2 tackles for loss · 6 tackles
Dominant 49-point win at home against Houston Christian.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +24 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
60tackles this seasonTFL rate
4%2 TFLSack rate
3%2 sacksPD rate
3%2 pass breakups60 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 2 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 10.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 7.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 8.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Neal Brown
Pass share
51.3%
290 pass / 275 run
Plays / game
70.6
8 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
312 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2026
60 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #106 at the position.
The No. 2,120 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic.
2026 is in progress.
Played for three programs.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AAC · 2ND TEAM
All-AAC 2nd team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
4 coachesPlayed for 4 head coaches at 3 schools: Mike Houston, Blake Harrell, Rhett Lashlee and Neal Brown.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to North Texas
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