Matthew Thomas Overton (born July 6, 1985) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

long snapper In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point att ...

who is currently a free agent. He played college football at

Western Washington Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as the area of Washington state west of the Cascade Mountains. This region is home to the state's largest city, Seattle, the state capital, Olympia, and most of the state's residents. T ...

after graduating from

Diablo Valley College Diablo Valley College (DVC) is a public community college with campuses in Pleasant Hill and San Ramon in Contra Costa County, California. DVC is one of three public community colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District (along with ...

, and was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Seattle Seahawks in 2007. Overton has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he made the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. In between stints with the Seahawks, Overton played for the

Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

of the United Football League in 2009. After his release from the Seahawks in 2010, he rejoined the UFL but as a member of the

Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...

. In 2010, he was named to the UFL's top-10 players list, earning him the recognition as the league's top

. Overton was protected by the Nighthawks for the 2011 season.

Early years

Overton attended Tracy High School in

Tracy, California Tracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States. The population was 93,000 at the 2020 census. Tracy is located inside a geographic triangle formed by Interstate 205 on the north side of the city, Inters ...

where he was a two-way starter for four years for the Bulldogs football team. He earned Lineman of the Year, player of the month, athlete of the month awards, and 2002 SJAA honorable mention honors. Despite these accolades, Overton was not offered any scholarships coming out of high school and opted to attend

, a junior college in

Pleasant Hill, California Pleasant Hill is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 34,613 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1961. Pleasant Hill is the home of College Park H ...

College career

Overton began his college football career at

. In his time with DVC, Overton earned Special Teams MVP and Team Captain honors. He soon began to receive scholarship offers to 4-year institutions, and accepted an offer to attend

Western Washington University Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, succeeding a pri ...

. At Western Washington, he was a team captain and two-year starter at defensive end and long snapper. As the starting defensive end, he recorded over 40 tackles, 5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 7 pass break-ups.

Professional career

Overton played for the

Tri-Cities Fever The Tri-Cities Fever were a professional indoor football franchise based in Kennewick, Washington. The Fever joined National Indoor Football League (NIFL) in 2005 as an expansion team. The Fever were owned by Teri Carr. From 2005 to 2016, the Fe ...

of the af2 in 2008. He played for the

of the United Football League in 2009 and helped them to an undefeated season and appeared in the first UFL championship. He was re-signed by the Seattle Seahawks on February 10, 2010. After being released by the Seahawks during training camp, he signed with the

of the UFL for his second season. Overton was named to the UFL top-10 players list in 2010.

Indianapolis Colts

On April 3, 2012, Overton signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Used primarily as a long snapper, he was named to the

. On March 3, 2015, Overton signed a four-year extension with the Colts. The Colts released him on May 1, 2017.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Overton was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

on August 3, 2017, after

Carson Tinker Carson Tinker (born November 15, 1989) is an American football long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where was a member of their 2009 National Championship team and p ...

suffered a torn ACL. On November 14, 2017, following the team's Week 10 win over the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

, Overton was placed on injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder. On October 11, 2018, Overton was re-signed by the Jaguars after Carson Tinker suffered another knee injury. On March 7, 2019, Overton re-signed with the Jaguars. He was released on September 1, 2019.

Los Angeles Chargers

On November 15, 2019, Overton was signed by the

, but was released three days later.

Tennessee Titans

On October 12, 2020, Overton was signed to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on November 7, November 12, and November 21 for the team's weeks 9, 10, and 11 games against the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. On November 28, 2020, Overton was promoted to the active roster.

Los Angeles Chargers (second stint)

On August 16, 2021, Overton signed with the

Los Angeles Rams

On September 13, 2022, Overton signed with the practice squad of the Los Angeles Rams. He was released on September 20.

Dallas Cowboys

On October 4, 2022, Overton was signed by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

' to the practice squad, to compete with

Tucker Addington Tucker Addington (born July 16, 1997) is an American football long snapper for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Sam Houston State and spent two years out of football before being selec ...

. On October 15, 2022, Overton was promoted to the active roster to replace

Jake McQuaide Jacob McQuaide (born December 7, 1987) is an American football long snapper for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2011. McQuaide played college football at ...

, who was lost for the year with a torn left tricep. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Overton is a Christian. He is married to Breanna Overton. They have one daughter together. Overton runs his own youth charity foundation called Pros 2 Youth and owns and operates a small business with his former Nighthawks teammates

Maurice Clarett Maurice Edward Clarett (born October 29, 1983) is a former American football running back who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He also played professionally for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. During his fr ...

and Chad Lucas called Led By Pros. Led By Pros is located in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

and offers a youth football academy and helps young athletes to succeed in life and in sport.

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars bio

Seattle Seahawks bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, Matt 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from San Leandro, California People from Tracy, California Players of American football from San Joaquin County, California Players of American football from Alameda County, California American football long snappers American football defensive ends American football linebackers Western Washington Vikings football players Seattle Seahawks players Tri-Cities Fever players Florida Tuskers players Omaha Nighthawks players Indianapolis Colts players Jacksonville Jaguars players Los Angeles Chargers players Tennessee Titans players Los Angeles Rams players Dallas Cowboys players Unconferenced Pro Bowl players Tracy High School alumni