{"id":48221,"date":"2023-04-12T09:00:11","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=48221"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:54:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T19:54:59","slug":"demarvion-overshown-casts-shadow-at-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2023\/04\/12\/demarvion-overshown-casts-shadow-at-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"DeMarvion Overshown Casts Shadow at Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Texas Longhorns are evaluating a swarm of players looking to replace linebacker DeMarvion Overshown<\/strong> as the face of the defense.\u00a0 There\u2019s no shortage of players looking to step up.<\/p>\n

The Texas defense is a mix of youngsters and grizzled veterans trying to impress the coaches.\u00a0 Even the players can\u2019t decide who the best player is.<\/p>\n

The defensive line is loaded on the interior with Byron Murphy<\/strong>, Vernon Broughton<\/strong>, Alfred Collins,<\/strong> and senior T\u2019Vondre Sweat<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThem boys go to work,\u201d safety Jahdae Barron<\/a> said.\u00a0 \u201cThey make our job on the back end so much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy has impressed his teammates with his athleticism.\u00a0 \u201cFor his size, to be that fast and strong, I definitely thought that stood out for me (during spring), and I can\u2019t wait to see how that translates,\u201d linebacker Jaylan Ford<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

Edge Rush<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a different story at edge rusher, where there\u2019s a lineup card of prospects.\u00a0 Barryn Sorrell<\/strong> returns along with Justice Finkley<\/strong>, Ethan Burke<\/strong>, J\u2019Mond Tapp<\/strong>, and Kristopher Ross<\/strong>.\u00a0 They have been joined by highly touted freshman and early enrollee Colton Vasek<\/strong> during spring practice.<\/p>\n

The challenge at edge rusher comes from inexperience and youth.\u00a0 Sorrell is the old man of the group as a junior.\u00a0 As a unit, the young pass rushers struggled to generate much pressure on the quarterback this Spring.\u00a0 A big part of the struggle was facing down the Longhorns\u2019 premiere tackles \u2014 Christian Jones<\/strong> and Kelvin Banks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

With a Big 12 Championship in mind, the Longhorns still have a few months to figure it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job is to beat the best teams that we play on our schedule, and ultimately put ourselves in a position to compete for a championship,\u201d head coach Steve Sarkisian<\/strong> said. \u00a0\u201cIf you\u2019re in that role, they\u2019ve probably got good tackles, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarkisian said the edge rushers must improve for the team to reach its goals in 2023.\u00a0 The Texas coaching staff has been working in the off-season to boost the pass rush.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur defensive staff has done a nice job of putting some new wrinkles in to create opportunities,\u201d Sarkisian said.\u00a0 \u201cCreate some one-on-one rushes and guys can kind of show what they can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linebackers<\/h3>\n

The linebacker position is more stable.\u00a0 All the Longhorns have to do is replace NFL-bound Overshown.\u00a0 Not only was Overshown the most talented player on the field, but he was also a team leader as well.\u00a0 He was a player who led by example, even playing special teams despite being a top pro prospect.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t really care about the shine,\u201d Ford said of Overshown.\u00a0 \u201cBetween these walls, we knew that was our leader, so I think his voice carried and it’s something we\u2019ve got to rebuild.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ford said that the linebacker room has several leaders in waiting, and it helps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019re some guys that gotta step up.\u00a0 We got Jett Bush<\/strong>, David Gbenda<\/strong>, those guys.\u00a0 They\u2019re right there with me.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been here since I\u2019ve been here.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been trying to take that leadership role, too. \u00a0It\u2019s not just one person trying to carry the load,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Emerging Linebackers<\/h3>\n

One of the linebackers who made the most of the off-season is Gbenda. Players and coaches agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is playing good football for us, probably the best version of David Gbenda that we\u2019ve seen,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid really stands out,\u201d Ford said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s been grinding since winter started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morice Blackwell<\/strong> is another potential leader because of his play on special teams.\u00a0 \u201cThe majority of the work he had done was on special teams throughout his career,\u201d Sarkisian said.\u00a0 \u201cBut I think we saw a glimpse of him last year on defense where he made some really big plays for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think his understanding of the defense is at a better place today than it\u2019s ever been,\u201d the coach added. \u00a0\u201cBut we\u2019re not losing sight of the value he brings to our team on special teams, either.\u201d<\/p>\n

An infusion at linebacker came from top recruits Anthony Hill<\/strong> and Liona Lefau<\/strong>.\u00a0 Both early enrollees<\/a> have been drawing rave reviews from their teammates and coaches.\u00a0 They fly to the ball and are quick learners.<\/p>\n

Texas receiver Ja\u2019Tavion Sanders<\/a> played at the same high school as Hill.\u00a0 \u201cI know what type of player he is, and he\u2019s doing the same thing he was doing in high school,\u201d Sanders said.<\/p>\n

Defensive backs<\/h3>\n

Safety Jalen Catalon<\/strong> from Arkansas and cornerback Gavin Holmes<\/strong> from Wake Forest have arrived via the transfer portal.\u00a0 They add to a crowded secondary.<\/p>\n

At safety, Texas is led by Jerrin Thompson<\/a> and Barron.\u00a0 Kitan Crawford<\/strong> has added his name to the group.\u00a0 Crawford has been a demon on special teams and is pushing for playing time in the secondary.\u00a0 The Longhorns also expect contributions from redshirt freshmen Larry Turner-Gooden<\/strong> and B.J. Allen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Holmes is vying for playing time among a group of corners that includes Ryan Watts<\/strong>, Terrance Brooks<\/strong>, Jaylon Guilbeau<\/strong>, X\u2019Avion Brice<\/strong>, and Malik Muhammad<\/strong>.\u00a0 Austin Jordan<\/strong> has been getting reps at both nickel back and corner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve got great competition at corner.\u00a0 I think at both spots,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

Brooks is a sophomore who consistently impressed during spring practice.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s freaky athletic and strong for a young cat like him,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have grown tremendously with depth,\u201d Thompson said of the defensive backfield.\u00a0 \u201cThe whole defense in general, we\u2019re all just locked in, we understand our assignments, and we\u2019re just getting after it, having fun out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

That could be trouble for the opponents this season.<\/p>\n

Leadership on defense<\/h3>\n

Where will the leadership come from?\u00a0 The Longhorns believe they have it figured out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a defensive collective, we all come together,\u201d Barron said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re a very veteran group.\u00a0 It\u2019s not just one standout leader.\u00a0 We\u2019re all leading each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

That confidence echoes through the team.\u00a0 Ford said he\u2019s ready to step up, even if it means being the bad guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really be friends and be a leader at the same time.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to tell them the things they don\u2019t want to hear,\u201d Ford said.\u00a0 \u201cThe only way you demand it is you do it yourself first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transfer portal<\/h3>\n

The next transfer portal is in May.\u00a0 Sarkisian meets with each player one-on-one at the end of Spring practice to discuss their future.\u00a0 The portal remains the wildcard that can significantly change a roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just don\u2019t know who you\u2019re going to lose.\u00a0 And if you lose too many at one spot, you better have somebody that can fill that void so you don\u2019t go into the season depleted,\u201d Sarkisian said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality of it is we\u2019ll probably have some movement at the end of Spring, going and coming. I don\u2019t know exactly what it\u2019s going to look like yet,\u201d he added.\u00a0 \u201cI do think that we have to be realistic to the landscape of college football right now, and we\u2019ve got another portal window about to open.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DeMarvion<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy: \u00a0Ricardo B. Brazziell \/ American-Statesman \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Texas Longhorns are evaluating a swarm of players looking to replace linebacker DeMarvion Overshown as the face of the defense.\u00a0 There\u2019s no shortage of players looking to step up. The Texas defense is a mix of youngsters and grizzled veterans trying to impress the coaches.\u00a0 Even the players can\u2019t decide who the best player […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4486,"featured_media":48235,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,35576],"tags":[4780,9940,9941,9895,9871,9872,5095,204],"class_list":["post-48221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-big12","category-texas-longhorns","tag-big-12-football","tag-demarvion-overshown","tag-jatavion-sanders","tag-jahdae-barron","tag-jaylan-ford","tag-jerrin-thompson","tag-steve-sarkisian","tag-texas-longhorns"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4486"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48221"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79490,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48221\/revisions\/79490"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}