SI All-American Candidate Zakhari Spears Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Zakhari Spears
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Position: Cornerback
School: Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola
Committed to: Washington
Projected Position: Cornerback
Frame: Long and lean right now. Monster wingspan. With additional weight, he’ll look like a pro at the collegiate level.
Athleticism: Attacks 50-50 balls with supreme confidence, rightfully so with his enormous tip radius. More physical than most lanky corners his age. Runs fairly well relative to size, with above-average track marks in sprints as well as the high jump.
Instincts: Spears is definitely a peeker when it comes to zone responsibilities, running the risk (he’s content betting on himself) of gifting the receiver separation. He knows his height and size can be used against him, so he compensates with a mindfully low center of gravity in his stance, and throughout the play.
Polish: More than capable tackler. Rolls the dice at times, but trusts his range to bring him back into contention for every ball between 3-4 seconds of hangtime. He jumps down to defend the flat like it’s his own front porch.
Bottom Line: Spears looks best as a deep third coverage specialist, but he’s also a proven flat defender and a sure tackler. He plays with confidence, and for good reason, since his long arms and zone-friendly range keep him in the play when the quarterback thinks he has him beat. Adding strength and some mass could be his ticket to relatively early playing time at the Power Five level.