Darryl Overton is making The St. James the hub of DMV football
Darryl Overton is the type of man who can light up a room with his confidence. That confidence is well-earned, as Overton has done nothing but win as a high school football coach. This latest chapter at The St. James Academy is just another example of Coach Overton working his magic.
It takes a special kind of person to take over a program from scratch and go 8-1 while being the top ranked team in Virginia in the inaugural season. Darryl Overton is a special person, and he knows it. He proudly told me that, “Impacting young people’s lives is my gift”.
While this sounds like a bold claim, the proof is in the pudding. Overton has helped produce over 30 D1 football players, including multiple that have gone on to the NFL. He has helped mold those players over the years at multiple spots.
Darryl Overton started his coaching career as a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator at Freedom High School. After a couple years doing that, Overton teamed up with his old high school coach Bill Brown at Colonial Forge High School. That six year chapter was very important for his coaching development, with Overton noting, “going to Colonial Forge and learning how to be a student of the game with Coach Brown was very instrumental to my success”.
Eventually, Overton wanted a crack at being a head coach and went back to Freedom High School. Before he arrived, Freedom did not have a history of winning, with Overton pointing out that the program had never won more than three games before he arrived. However, the relentless Darryl Overton was not going to let that lack of history stop him.
He quickly turned the program around, never losing more than three games again after his first season. After successful stints at Freedom and Hayfield High Schools, Overton arrived at The St. James academy.
So what is the secret to Coach Overton’s success? Well, according to him it is very simple, he is in love with the process. Overton explained to me that, “I love the process more than the prize”. At all levels of coaching, process oriented individuals tend to have the most success, and Overton is no different.
That love for the process is part of what drew him to The St. James Academy. He was intrigued by the idea of building something totally from scratch. From the roster, to the jerseys to the scheduling, Darryl Overton got a chance to build this thing from the ground up.
Being the head coach is not the only thing that drew Overton to The St. James though. He is also the director of football operations, a position that excites him greatly. Overton’s eyes lit up when he proudly talked about that role.
That role involves setting up football camps, 7 on 7 tournaments and just about anything that is football related at The St. James. Overton has a bold vision for the project, saying, “We want everything that is football in the DMV to happen here”.
Darryl Overton is not just a football coach, he is a football guy. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to coach an 8U football team and run his Playmakers elite organization. In fact, he was wearing a big green Playmakers chain when we chatted.
Despite all of these roles, Overton has his eyes on the prize as the coach of The St. James Academy football team. In his first season as coach, The St. James went 8-1 while playing a national schedule. Overton had some signature victories, most notably against The First Academy, which is loaded with D1 talent. In that game, the Strivers overcame a 16 point first quarter deficit to win 41-40.
Despite being at a talent disadvantage in that game, Overton’s team battled and got the win. While he did not have a team full of 5 stars, Coach Overton found kids who were hungry and had a point to prove. He said, “Our niche is finding 2 or 3 stars who are overlooked”. This largely local group was able to not only survive, but thrive while playing a national schedule.
Overton is proud of the fact this is a team full of local talent saying, “We want kids from this area that are willing to prove they are as good as kids from anywhere else”. That is what they did in this inaugural season, but this is only the beginning. Next year, Coach Overton will have a daunting schedule, including a trip to California to face the well renowned Mater Dei High School.
Darryl Overton is not the type of man to shy away from a challenge though. He is constantly pushing to make his team better. From pushing his team with high performance training using The St. James’ world class facilities to constantly creating recruiting fliers, Coach Overton knows he can’t afford to sit still.
Doing what is right for his players is still the top priority though. The thing he is most proud of is how he looks out for the best interests of everyone on the team. He stated that “The thing we do better than most is finding a home for everybody”. Overton does this by relentlessly using his connections with college coaches to find the best spot for his players.
When we talked, Overton told me that out of 17 seniors, 11 had already found a home. He expected that the rest would find a place to play by February. This constant pursuit of doing right by his players is why Overton has inspired so much loyalty over the years.
Darryl Overton loves football and he loves leading young people. At The St. James, he is able to do both. He told me that, “We have to remember that young people are a constant work in progress”. At The St. James Academy, Darryl Overton’s goal is two fold. He wants to mold young people and make The St. James the center for all things football in the DMV.
Two-Minute drill:
Q: What is your proudest coaching moment?
A: “Winning our first state championship and winning the The First Academy game last year”
Q: Favorite football movie?
A: Any Given Sunday
Q: Favorite football team and favorite player?
A: “Favorite team is the San Francisco 49ers and my favorite player is Fred Warner” (Niners LB)
Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?
A: “The best advice I could give is keep going and don’t quit. Just keep going no matter what”