Linebacker, North Texas (from East Carolina, SMU), 2022–26
Zakye Barker
- Number
- No. 3
- Height
- 5′11″
- Weight
- 225 lb
- Class (2026)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Norcross, GA
Zakye Barker plays linebacker for North Texas, after East Carolina (2022–24) and SMU (2025). Last time out, against Charlotte: 3 tackles. Barker leads North Texas in tackles this season.
2026 so far
43 tackles, 2 sacks
Last game: 3 tackles vs. Charlotte, W 50–10
Next game: at Navy, Oct 24
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Career highs
13tackles, career hightwice; last at Tulsa, 2026Defense
* The season in progress, so far.
| Season | Team | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD | Hur |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | East Carolina | 21 | 13 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | East Carolina | 81 | 26 | 12 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | SMU | 27 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 | North Texas | 43 | 13 | 2.5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Career | 172 | 63 | 17 | 3.5 | 4 | 2 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | East Carolina | 3 | LB | RS | ||
| 2023 | East Carolina | 3 | LB | Fr. | ||
| 2024 | East Carolina | 3 | LB | So. | ||
| 2025 | SMU | 3 | LB | Jr. | ||
| 2026 | North Texas | 3 | LB | Sr. | 5′11″ | 225 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2026 North Texas 6 games, 43 tackles, 2 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | at Indiana | L 16–52 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 12 | vs. UNLV | W 44–6 | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Sep 19 | at Texas State | L 35–49 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 26 | vs. Houston Christian | W 63–14 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 | 0 |
| Oct 1 | at Tulsa | W 45–44 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 10 | vs. Charlotte | W 50–10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 SMU 10 games, 27 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | vs. East Texas A&M | W 42–13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 4 | vs. Syracuse | W 31–18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Oct 11 | vs. Stanford | W 34–10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 18 | at Clemson | W 35–24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 25 | at Wake Forest | L 12–13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 1 | vs. Miami | W 26–20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 8 | at Boston College | W 45–13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22 | vs. Louisville | W 38–6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 29 | at California | L 35–38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2 ✦ | vs. Arizona | W 24–19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024 East Carolina 11 games, 81 tackles, 1.5 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. Norfolk State | W 42–3 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7 | at Old Dominion | W 20–14 | 9 | 3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Sep 14 | vs. App State | L 19–21 | 13 | 5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 21 | at Liberty | L 24–35 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 28 | vs. UTSA | W 30–20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 19 | at Army | L 28–45 | 8 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | vs. Temple | W 56–34 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 7 | vs. Florida Atlantic | W 49–14 | 8 | 2 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 14 | atTulsa | W 38–31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 23 | at North Texas | W 40–28 | 7 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 29 | vs. Navy | L 20–34 | 9 | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 1 |
2023 East Carolina 8 games, 21 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9 | vs. Marshall | L 13–31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 16 | atApp State | L 28–43 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 23 | vs. Gardner-Webb | W 44–0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 12 | vs. SMU | L 10–31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 4 | vs. Tulane | L 10–13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 11 | atFlorida Atlantic | W 22–7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 18 | atNavy | L 0–10 | 7 | 5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 25 | vs.Tulsa | L 27–29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
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