DeMarvion Overshown Ready to ‘Move Around’ in Texas Defense
DeMarvion Overshown’s position on the Texas depth chart is weak-side linebacker. But don’t expect that to be the only place he lines up this season.
Overshown, set to begin his final season with Texas, talked about his role in the Texas defense during Big 12 Media Days last week.
He’s not going to be a wallflower, that’s for sure.
I like being active, I like getting to the quarterback, you know, blitzing and moving around a lot,” Overshown said.
Overshown led the Longhorns with 74 tackles a year ago, but he wasn’t used in a way in which he got to the quarterback consistently. In fact, Texas had serious issues getting to the quarterback. Ben Davis led the team with 2 1/2 sacks, and he’s gone now.
So, as a way to manufacture more pressure on Big 12 quarterbacks, the idea is to use Overshown on the edge more. The Longhorns can do that this season because they’ve added depth overall at linebacker, including James Madison transfer Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey and the emergence of holdover Jaylan Ford.
He’s still getting used to the new opportunity, but he seems more than eager to get his first game opportunity in September.
Part of the defense’s inability to use Overshown in this fashion last season was that defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski was still installing his new system. Overshown was learning a new role.
“I feel like it was definitely a moment where I was I had to be at a certain spot (last year) for the defense to go this way or go that way,” Overshown said. “So really this year, just being able to move around, it’s gonna put a lot of pressure on teams and, like I said, we added a lot of playmakers to the defense. A lot of guys are coming along. It’s not only going to help me, but now (offenses) have to deal with the other 10 players on the field as well.
“You can expect me to be doing everything on defense.”
The Longhorns are coming off a 2021 season in which it went 5-7 (3-6) and finished seventh in the Big 12. Second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian landed transfers like five-star Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers, wide receivers Isaiah Neyor (Wyoming) and Agiye Hall (Alabama), and tight end Jahleel Billingsley (Alabama).
Texas hopes that Ewers has the talent to help support two of the country’s best skill players in running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Xavier Worthy. The Longhorns must rework the offensive line and may see at least one true freshman from their massive offensive line haul in the 2022 signing class in the starting lineup.
Texas returns six starters on defense from a unit that was fell below expectations in 2021 and didn’t add many pieces in the transfer portal that could have make an impact in 2022. The roster in Austin is littered with talent and adding former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as a special assistant to the head coach could help clean up some defensive woes. If Texas is to make waves this season its defense will need to be much improved.
The Longhorns start the season Sept. 3 with Louisiana-Monroe and will host Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide one week later.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
