ORLANDO — Before he could walk, David Overstreet II knew exactly what he wanted to with his life, even if he needed a break from it.
His father, a former first-round NFL draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, handed him a green football as his first toy. He never wanted to let go.
“I wouldn’t take a picture (as a baby). I cried the whole time until they gave me the ball back,” Overstreet said. “They gave me the ball, then I smiled for the picture. It’s what I have always wanted to do. I didn’t want to do anything else.”
That choice was later taken out of his hands. A knee injury cut his NFL playing dreams short after a four-year career at Missouri, where he earned All-Big 12 honors at safety.
Overstreet spent more than half a decade away from the game, owning a marketing and sales firm in the greater Houston area. But football called him back, and he entered the coaching ranks in 2015 — starting at the JUCO level, where he later mentored former UCF standout and first-round NFL draft pick Mike Hughes.
In March, Overstreet returned to the college ranks, taking over as the Knights’ defensive backs coach. He spent the previous seven years in the NFL, on Matt Eberflus’ staffs in Indianapolis, Chicago and Dallas.
“When you love something as much as you do, when you’ve been in it so long, it starts calling you,” Overstreet said. “I had to find a way to get back into it, and I did. I’ve been rolling ever since.”
UCF had two separate defensive backs coaching vacancies since the conclusion of the 2025 campaign. Brandon Harris joined Jon Sumrall’s staff at Florida, and his replacement, Will Johnson, later accepted a position with the Minnesota Vikings.
Overstreet reunites with UCF defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who was a graduate assistant at Missouri during his playing days — back when Grinch, he says, had wavy hair (a “ladies’ man look”) instead of the buzz cut he sports now.
More than anything, Overstreet wants his defensive backs to have the same desire for the football that he had. While the Knights finished third in the Big 12 in passing yards allowed (185.1) last year, the unit created just 14 takeaways.
The Bears snagged 47 interceptions during Overstreet’s three-year tenure in the Windy City (2022-24), sixth-most in the NFL. He followed Eberflus to Dallas in 2025, but the Cowboys managed just six picks and tied for 29th in turnover margin (-9).
Those habits, Overstreet said, start in the film room and need to carry over at all times.
“You’ve got to keep the ball on your mind,” Overstreet added. “Nothing matters without that football. (The opponent) can’t score if they ain’t got the ball. It’s always doing something where the ball is important. When you’re watching tape, if you see a PBU, it could be an interception if you’d done this. You see a guy running by you when you tagged off, you really could punch the ball. You see where it could have been a fumble when the ball’s not tucked to his body. You can get a punch, you can get a rake.
“It’s constantly telling guys where they can get the ball, how they can get the ball, and projecting interceptions to them.”
Redshirt senior cornerback DJ Bell dropped an interception during practice April 16. Afterward, he took some reps on the JUGS machine as penance.
“I was very sick about that,” said Bell, who made 17 tackles with four pass breakups after joining UCF from Memphis. “It’s a consistent thing that you’ve got to work on.”
UCF’s corners feed off Overstreet’s energy on the field, which he likened to a child at recess. It’s eased the adjustment for senior Antione Jackson, who has had four position coaches in three seasons since arriving from East Carolina.
“We’ve got to calm him down sometimes. He gets too hyped,” said Jackson, who returns alongside fellow starter Jayden Bellamy on the boundary. “He’s a great guy. He brings his all every day.”
Building bonds is among Overstreet’s main priorities this spring, given the short amount of time he has been in the program. He jokes with his players through text, and has several upcoming events planned, though he elected to keep those secret.
“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much care,” Overstreet said. “I really want to show my players how much I care about them, not just the number. I don’t really care about No. 7, I care about Antione Jackson. … You can only coach a player to the depth of your relationship. The deeper your relationship is, the more you can coach that player.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football DBs coach wants his unit to create more turnovers
Reporting by Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
