Texas Football: Overshown ready to become elite under Kwiatkowski

There’s bound to be some new stars step up to the forefront for the Texas football program this fall under the direction of a new coaching regime. New Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and his newly formed staff are looking to instill a more promising direction for this program compared to the latter years under former head coach Tom Herman.

Sark and the Longhorns did find a spark on the recruiting trail and by adding players through the NCAA Transfer Portal since he was first hired to be the next head coach back on Jan. 2. This Texas team does look to have the talent level needed to contend for a Big 12 Championship. It would be the first time since 2009 that the Longhorns won the Big 12 crown if they’re able to do so in 2021.

Moreover, what would need to happen for the Longhorns to win a Big 12 Championship this fall is new stars to step up. Texas especially had a good amount of roster turnover on the defensive side of the ball, where new co-defensive coordinators Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate will be looking to turn the corner.

There was some good improvement down the stretch last season for the Longhorns under former defensive coordinator/safeties coach Chris Ash. Texas got down to allowing less than two passing touchdowns per game and less than four yards per carry last season under Ash, which was enough progress to notice for this defense.

But it’s the addition of the former Washington Huskies co-defensive coordinator Kwiatkowski that should really excite Texas fans about what’s to come on this side of the ball. Some potential budding stars such as seniors DeMarvion Overshown and D’Shawn Jamison, among others, could really take their game to the next level with Kwiatkowski leading the way.

DeMarvion Overshown a sleeping giant with Texas football DC Pete Kwiatkowski

Texas is getting a co-defensive coordinator in Kwiatkowski that helped to form one of the most consistent defenses in the PAC-12 over the course of the past half-decade or so. Washington ranked in the top 10 four times in the past six seasons in terms of points allowed per game. And they rarely averaged more than 350 yards against per game and five yards per play.

What Kwiatkowski was really good at with Washington was developing talent in the front seven. He’s had key talent at the linebacker position head to the NFL in the past six years such as Shaq Thompson, Hau’oli Kikaha, Azeem Victor, Ben Burr-Kirven, and Joe Tryon.

In fact, between linebackers and defensive linemen, Kwiatkowski saw a dozen players get picked up in the NFL Draft since 2015 from the Washington program. In that same period of time, Texas had half the amount of linebackers and defensive linemen picked in the NFL Draft.

With player development becoming a key point of emphasis for the Longhorns under the new Sark coaching staff, the addition of Kwiatkowski is very notable. And it’s one that is definitely going to play to the benefit of Overshown.

Overshown already started to breakout on the Big 12 scene last fall. He was a very productive linebacker for Texas in 2020. He registered 60 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery last season.

Kwiatkowski is going to run a three-down front with Overshown likely playing at the weakside linebacker position. The key weakside linebacker that Kwiatkowski developed at Washington was Burr-Kirven, who had an underrated 2018 campaign on the national scene. In 2018, Burr-Kirven registered 176 combined tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, six pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.

And if Overshown can clean up all of the missed tackles, then he could become a linebacker close to as productive as Burr-Kirven throughout much of his career playing under Kwiatkowski. Overshown already brings the versatility and physical tools to the table that could make him an effective linebacker such as Kwiatkowski had in Burr-Kirven.

Overshown already has the tools that he’s proven in the past that he can brings to the table for Texas again this fall. He had a team-high 29 stops last season, along with nine additional quarterback pressures to go with his two sacks.

Texas will definitely need a new star linebacker to step up in the wake of the loss of the former junior star edge rusher/outside linebacker Joseph Ossai this year. It’s also worth noting that Texas is going to lose their most productive tackler from last season, with junior linebacker Juwan Mitchell transferring to join the Tennessee Volunteers.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12) under the direction of the former head coach Herman. And Sark and the new-look Longhorns are set to open up the 2021 season on Sep. 4 at home against Louisiana.