Tennessee basketball was the first school to offer class of 2026 guard Dakari Spear back in the summer. On Saturday night, the four-star guard took in his first men’s basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center as the Vols dominated Texas A&M in an 86-51 blowout.
Both the environment for the “Checker” Food City Center game and the Vols assistant coaches’ attention to detail impressed Spear.
“What stood out is the environment,” Spear told RTI. “The environment, atmosphere— it was crazy. It was loud. All the fans were engaged and I liked how all the coaches on the sideline were active and engaged. They were calling out A&M’s plays so they knew the plays and defense. They were locked in mentally and physically. Locked in on the boards and that’s how they came away with the big win. Locked in the whole game and never let up, even when they got up by 20.”
It was not a traditional visit for Spear. The 6-foot-4 guard was in town with his family to watch the Lady Vols matchup against defending National Champion LSU on Sunday. Dakari is the younger brother of Tennessee star guard Jewel Spear who transferred to Tennessee from Wake Forest this offseason and ranks second on the team with 12.7 points and leads the team with 4.7 assists per game.
While Spear’s visit with the men’s basketball program wasn’t extensive this weekend, he did unofficially visit Tennessee back in the fall and has a strong relationship with assistant coach Rod Clark.
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“What stands out to me is just how engaged the coaches are with me,” Spear said of Tennessee. “Coach Rod. It’s tight. … He’s always just been there before I got the offer. Always telling me how hard I need to work, keep working, keep grinding. Our connection is solid.”
While he’s still just a sophomore in high school, Spear is one of the top prospects in the 2026 recruiting cycle. He ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 41 player in the country according to the 247sports rankings. The Colony, Texas — a suburb of Dallas — native ranks as the No. 12 shooting guard in his class as well as the top player in the Lone Star State.
Recruiting services list Spear as a shooting guard but the guard has the ability to play on or off the ball. He’s a three-way scorer who can get to the basket and finish with both hands.
The Colony High School has seen major improvement this season in part thanks to Spear’s growth. After posting a 19-14 record last season, the Cougars are 29-5 and face White High School in the third round of the UIL Texas Boys State Basketball Championships on Tuesday night.
“I’ve improved a lot (this season) for sure,” Spear said. “Being more aggressive. Sometimes I get passive at times but I’ve been more aggressive in getting to the ball and getting to my spots and taking the shots in clutch time.”
Spear boasts offers from SMU, Tennessee, Texas Tech and Texas A&M currently. He visited Texas A&M as well as Tennessee in the fall and plans on going on more visits this spring though he hasn’t scheduled any yet.
