Overshown ready to headline defense
Linebacker brings a blend of size, speed well-suited for new scheme
AUSTIN — Even from the nosebleeds of skyscraping Royal-Memorial Stadium, it’s hard to lose track of DeMarvion Overshown.
The Texas linebacker adorns his everlasting arms and legs with rows of skinny Dri-FIT bands, creating a tigerish aesthetic that squares with Overshown’s on-field ferocity. And he’s got a stack of monikers to go along with those Nike swoosh-adorned stripes.
“The Arm Bandit.” “Agent Zero.” “D-Mo.” And maybe soon, “The best defender on the Forty Aces.”
Overshown might have seized that title last season if not for the presence of linebacker Joseph Ossai, a consensus All-American whom Cincinnati selected 69th overall in the 2021 NFL draft. But the converted safety’s numbers in 10 games weren’t too shabby, either: 60 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, a team-high seven pass breakups, and four quarterback hurries.
And Overshown, recruited out of Arp as an All-America safety ranked No. 1 in the nation by 247Sports, is just scratching the surface of his nascent potential.
“Last year I really didn’t even get a chance to learn the linebacker position before fall camp,” Overshown said. “So basically, (after) getting a full offseason at the position, I feel like what people saw last year was not
even close to what they’re gonna see this year.”
Texas’ new staff wasn’t sure what it had in Overshown. Surgery to repair a torn labrum prevented the senior linebacker from participating in spring practice, so coaches and team analysts were reduced to watching game tape and observing how the fourth-year Longhorns player handled the rehabilitation process.
Left to study new schemes and watch from afar, Overshown at first struggled with the isolation and limitations imposed by surgery. Eventually, he found ways to contribute and soak up the playbook without getting on the field.
“It was very difficult at first,” Overshown said. “Of course, nobody wants to be out while your teammates are on the field. But (it was beneificial) just being able to watch them guys and learn and lead from afar, but at the same time, you know, mentally, just growing at the linebacker spot since I didn’t get to do that last season in the spring because we was home. So basically, just being in a meeting room with the guys, being able to talk to the guys and being able to watch the guys and learn from that.”
There aren’t many defenders who can give pause to Bijan Robinson. He’s part gymnast, part steamroller, an unnervingly smiley force of destruction who’s just as comfortable going through defenders as he is going around them. One-on-one situations with Texas’ sophomore tailback tend to end with the defender feeling like his chest caved in or ankles shattered.
But even Robinson, who averaged 8.2 yards per carry as a true freshman, finds it difficult to escape No. 0 in the open field.
“He’s the hardest defender I’ve gotta get past,” Robinson said of Overshown. “He’s a really long, athletic football player. I know that we all know he’s a great linebacker, but just how long he is, how fast he is laterally makes him a big, huge threat to any running back because he can take up so much of the field.
“DeMarvion is definitely the player that I have to watch on that defense. Everybody on the defense is great players, but DeMarvion is the man when it comes to trying to juke out or make him miss.”
Overshown has beefed up to 223 pounds this offseason. But at 6-foot-4, he remains lean and aerodynamic, necessary components when trying to track and bring down a bipedal cyclone like Robinson.
A capable hash-to-hash and hash-to-sideline linebacker with active arms who can wrangle far-away ball carriers, punch out fumbles and bat away passes, Overshown also has the necessary blend of size, speed and strength to blitz off the edge. That sort of range makes him an ideal fit in defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski’s system, which rotates multiple packages throughout the course of a game.
“The one thing that has helped D-Mo coming out of spring, this summer he was able to get his weight up, so he really looks the part,” first-year coach Steve Sarkisian said. “But the one thing sometimes you don’t appreciate about him until we get into like 7-on-7 and team run periods and things like that is just actually how fast he really is. He can really run, and he’s got tremendous instincts, and I think that helps because of his background at safety. He identifies things really well. So we’re fortunate to have him.”
The rest of the Big 12 probably won’t feel so fortunate when it encounters No. 21 Texas’ apex predator this season. Especially as he enters this campaign with a better handle on the position and what’s required.
As for his overarching role, Overshown is just trying to “be the best (I) can be” wherever and however he’s utilized.
“Same as I was last year,” Overshown said. “Inside the box sometimes, outside the box (sometimes). But just being a leader, being one of the old heads on the defense, that’s what I’ve gotta do.”