Texas LB DeMarvion Overshown announces return for the 2022 season

Arm bandit back.

On Saturday, Texas Longhorns linebacker DeMarvion Overshown announced his return for the 2022 season, his fifth on the Forty Acres, in a huge decision for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his program heading into his second season with the Longhorns.

Overshown, one of the team’s most marketable personalities in the new world of NIL rights, is the second Texas player to reveal that he’ll utilize the extra season of eligibility afforded by the NCAA due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison made a similar announcement about his return.

Like Jamison, Overshown was part of the historic defensive back class of 2018 for the Longhorns — a consensus four-star prospect, he was ranked as the No. 52 player nationally and the No. 6 safety, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. But there were always questions about whether the Arp product would eventually spin down to linebacker thanks to his projectable 6’4 frame.

In fact, Overshown did spend some time at linebacker during preseason camp in 2018 due to a lack of depth at the position, but then suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss the first four games before he made his Texas debut against Kansas State. With the setback, Overshown appeared in nine games, mostly on special teams, and made one tackle.

An injured back and then an injured ankle kept Overshown out of four games in 2019 as Texas dealt with major losses across the defense, earning his first starts against Kansas and Baylor and ultimately recording 18 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, and four pass breakups on the season.

During the 2020 offseason, Overshown made the long-expected move to linebacker, but the coronavirus pandemic kept him from going through a full strength and conditioning regime, forcing him to play at 217 pounds, a lighter weight than preferred for the position.

Nonetheless, Overshown flashed his NFL upside at linebacker, starting all 10 games and totaling 60 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack, a team-high seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, four quarterback hurries, and a team-high two interceptions.

But Overshown was once again playing through an injury — he missed spring practice due to shoulder surgery, yet another development that set back his strength gains and robbed him of practice reps at linebacker.

During the 2021 season, Overshown was largely healthy, missing the season finale against Kansas State with a toe injury he battled through for an undisclosed amount of time, starting all 11 games and leading the team in tackles with 74 while adding 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two passes broken up, two quarterback hurries, and a blocked punt.

Now Overshown will have the opportunity to spend an offseason finally building the strength he needs for the position and, hopefully, the chance the get through a season in better health. When Overshown was healthy, he continued to show off why he’s considered the team’s best draft-eligible prospect, but he does still need to improve his ability to beat blocks at the point of attack. If he can do that, then his range and instincts in coverage should solidify him as a Day Two NFL draft pick in 2023.

The 2021 season showed how badly the Texas defense needs playmakers and one of the team’s best is now coming back for another season in a massive development for the Longhorns. And there’s no way Overshown would make that decision without the money-making ability afforded by his NIL rights.