Inside The Huskies

Third Husky Enters Transfer Portal in Cornerback Zakhari Spears

The Jimmy Lake recruit didn't see any game time in two seasons in the UW program.
Dan Raley|
Third Husky Enters Transfer Portal in Cornerback Zakhari Spears
Third Husky Enters Transfer Portal in Cornerback Zakhari Spears

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Washington Huskies

Zakhari Spears, seemingly the odd man out this season in the University of Washington's near season-long search for a pair of healthy and effective cornerbacks, announced on Saturday he is entering the transfer portal.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound redshirt freshman defender from Los Angeles' Loyola High School becomes the third UW football player to leave since the regular season ended, following junior safety Cam Williams and redshirt freshman defensive tackle Kuao Peihopa out the door.

Spears arrived as the pandemic began to wind down in 2021 with Jimmy Lake's last hand-picked class of Husky defensive backs with cornerbacks Davon Banks and Dyson McCutcheon and safety Vince Nunley, all Californians.

Consequently, Spears mentioned Lake in his parting social-media post rather than the current UW coaches.

"I want to thank Coach Lake and his staff for recruiting and believing in me, giving me the chance to do what I love at a high level," he wrote on his Twitter.

In the video, Lake talked last year about watching Spears in a workout and being sold on his height and toughness.  

Yet while Banks and McCutcheon got on the field right away, and Nunley made his move for playing time this fall but suffered a season-ending injury, Spears remained well down the depth chart for Kalen DeBoer's first-year coaching staff.

In two seasons, Spears didn't appear in a UW game. He watched as other young players such as fellow redshirt freshmen Elijah Jackson, McCutcheon and Banks, plus true freshman Jaivion Green, each earn considerable playing time and some even draw starting assignments once veteran first-team corners Mishael Powell and Jordan Perryman went down with injuries.

However, it still appeared that Spears was making progress when he was named Husky scout-team player of the week at midseason, yet he couldn't parlay that into playing time or traveling and dressing for road games.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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