While I agree that a coolant exhaust gas test has the final say so, what you describe manifests itself with an overflowing overflow tank that does not get sucked back into the system as it doesn't build/hold a vacuum with a seeping head gasket.
The original fan clutch and a brand new OEM fan clutch can't be both bad, so this is now ruled out by process of elimination.
The coolant temp is being read via OBD2 system, the overheating is - unfortunately for me - accurate.
The water pump may have failed, that's true, but MUD hive mind suggests that it would be very apparent; I'm not seeing any signs of that at this time.
The EGR valve may be a symptom of the issue or it maybe unrelated. A part of me suspects that a partially clogged cat might be the root cause; not allowing the engine to exhale the hot exhaust gasses at high RPM could lead to both overheating and what feels like slight powerless.
Sort of a side note, anyone know off hand if the EGR system can simply be deleted on an OBD2 truck same as an OBD1 truck (without a CEL)?