Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 16-52@ Indiana | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| 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 | |
| Total | 21 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
#3
Zakye Barker
Senior linebacker for North Texas. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
5′11″ · 225 lb · Norcross, GA · Norcross HS
CFB Index 15 · #551 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceTransferred SMU → North Texas for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Tackles: 86th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
21
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 5 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, vs UNLV
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior linebacker for North Texas. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to East Carolina in 2022.
- Transferred from SMU to North Texas in 2026.
In Their Words
141 windows · 2026 fan posts
zakye×921.5fifth×109.7linebacker×26.8
Zakye Barker
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Zakye Barker has played for three head coaches across four seasons and three programs. In 2024 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-AAC. The receipt on tape: 8 tackles against Texas State, Week 3, 2026.
21 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
2022
- Signed with East Carolina3-star out of Norcross
202411 games
- All-AACsecond
202510 games
- Entered the portal
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-AAC · 2ND TEAM
All-AAC 2nd team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Eric Morris, Drew Svoboda, and Neal Brown. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to North Texas
2025SMU
2026North Texas
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Texas | 21 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 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 | 150 | 54 | 15.0 | 2.0 | 3 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Zakye Barker's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 44–6
vs UNLV
0.5 sacks · 0.5 tackles for loss · 5 tackles
Dominant 38-point win at home against UNLV.
With T. Jackson — 233 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 74.9 · 15 rush yds (7 car) · 1 TD · J. White — 124 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +8 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
2023East Carolina2-10HC: Mike Houston · Balanced
2024East Carolina8-5HC: Mike Houston · Balanced
2025SMU9-4HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced
2026North Texas1-2HC: Neal Brown · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: tackles (86th percentile). Concern: solo tackles (11th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Defensive profile
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
21tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%0 TFLSack rate
2%0 sacksPD rate
5%1 pass breakups21 tackles · 0 for loss · 0 sacks.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
| Road2g | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 7.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Neal Brown
Pass share
52.3%
115 pass / 105 run
Plays / game
73.3
3 games
Team sack rate
1.6%
122 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
Starter
The No. 2,120 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the American Athletic as a senior.
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Sam Brumfield’s 2024 season.
80%match
Matches Sam on
Class year
TFL rate
Sack rate
Differs from Sam on
PD rate (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Eriq Gilyard's senior season at UCF (2021).
Matches Eriq on
Solo tackle rate
Sack rate
Height
Differs from Eriq on
PD rate (higher)
Hurry rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Zakye Barker
Background
Prior to UNT: Spent the 2025 season at SMU and the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons at East Carolina … was a Second Team All-American Conference selection in 2024 at ECU … has appeared in 31 games in his career with 12 starts … tallied 133 tackles, 13.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and three forced fumbles as a…
The linebacker corps · North Texas
- #7Aaron Alexander92 tackles · 2025
- #3Zakye Barker27 tackles · 2025
- #30Chantz Johnson7 tackles · 2025
- #36Jaden Manning6 tackles · 2025
- #34Brenden Reese3 tackles · 2025
4 more on the roster · North Texas team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology