DaKari Spear is entering a major opportunity to contribute in Lubbock. He'll come with better credentials than any other Red Raider freshman.
LUBBOCK, Texas - It will be a pretty new-look roster for Grant McCasland and Texas Tech's men's basketball team in 2026-27.
Notable absences will be Christian Anderson, as the All-American guard is currently enrolled in the NBA Draft, and JT Toppin, who suffered a torn ACL midway through last season and will miss at least a chunk of the beginning of the year. Sharpshooter Donovan Atwell has also graduated, along with the contributors who have transferred elsewhere.
While McCasland has earned some quality signatures through the portal, all eyes will be on incoming freshman DaKari Spear next season.
That's because this week, Spear officially earned 5-star status, and his No. 29 ranking in the 2026 high school class by 247Sports makes him the highest-rated recruit in Texas Tech history, according to the publication.
Spear, a Dallas-native shooting guard, is the No. 3-ranked player in the state behind Texas pledge Austin Goosby and Duke signee Bryson Howard. All three players are from the DFW area.
Now below Spear in Texas Tech's all-time recruit rankings is Jahmi'us Ramsey, the athletic forward from south-Dallas power Duncanville in the 2019 class. Ramsey was the program's first-ever 5-star prospect and averaged 15 points and four rebounds in his one-and-done college season.
Third in the program's all-time recruit ranking is Nimari Burnett, who left the program in the middle of his 2021 freshman season.
Spear Ready to 'Bring That Energy' to the USA
"Time to bring that energy to Lubbock and make some history. Let's get it," said Spear in his commitment post on social media on Oct. 13.
In his junior season at The Colony High School before playing for Dynamic Prep and Overtime Elite this season, the 6-foot-5 Spear was a 5A All-State selection and unanimous district MVP.
He committed to the Red Raiders after narrowing an extensive list of offers down to include Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.
"Spear is an intriguing long-term prospect because of his combination of physical tools and scoring versatility," said scout Adam Finkelstein. "At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, he has good perimeter size and length. He’s also cut-up with broad shoulders, a strong base in his lower body, and the type of frame that could really explode in a college weight room, ultimately allowing him to play a couple of different positions.
"Offensively, he shows flashes of being a three-range scoring threat. He came up the ranks with the reputation as a shot-maker, but made just 26% of his threes on over 4 attempts per game in EYBL play. Still, he’s a confident shooter who looks like a projectable floor-spacer at times. He can also rise-up into mid-range pull-ups over top of contesting defenders with a high release. He’s not necessarily a dynamic handler, but is starting to utilize his size and increasing strength to make hard and physical straight-line drives to the rim in the open floor."
