Hearts are heavy around the Clemson community as they have lost one of their own. Former Clemson Tiger wide receiver Diondre Overton has died at the age of 26, the school announced on Saturday. Overton took the field for coach Dabo Swinney and the Tigers from 2016 to 2019 and won two national championships with the program. No cause of death was given.
Overton was a local kid. He came to Clemson as a highly regarded four-star recruit in the 2016 signing class from Page Senior High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. He played in 51 games over his four seasons with the team. In that time, Overton caught 52 receptions for 777 yards and seven touchdowns.
In the first two games of Clemson’s 2018 national championship season, Overton made some big plays for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, including a key touchdown in the third quarter of the Tigers’ win over Texas A&M.
He received his degree from Clemson in sports communication in the summer of 2019.
“Clemson Football and the entire Clemson Family mourns the passing of Clemson alumnus Diondre Overton. Our thoughts are with his family and friends,” a social media post from Clemson read.
Overton’s former Clemson teammates mourned his passing across social media platforms Saturday morning, including Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who wrote on social media: “Brotha I miss you already man. I love you 5L….I’m hurting bad bout this right now. Rest Easy Big Play.”
Following his collegiate career at Clemson, Overton spent several years at the professional level. He had a cup of coffee with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Vienna Vikings of the European Football League.
Overton was drafted by the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars in 2022, and he spent two seasons with the organization. In that time, he recorded 42 catches for 533 yards and five scores.
Earlier this year, Overton was selected by the UFL’s Memphis Showboats in the USFL dispersal draft.
