Clemson University mourns the death of former wide receiver

CLEMSON, S.C. (WSPA) – Students and faculty are mourning the loss of Diondre Overton, Clemson’s former wide receiver who helped the university to national championships in 2016 and 2018.

Overton died on Saturday and was 26 years old. He was a native of Greensboro, North Carolina and signed with the Tigers out of Walter Hines Page High School.

According to Clemson University, Overton played more than 1,000 career snaps at the university across the 2016 through 2019 seasons. He collected 52 career receptions for 777 yards and seven touchdowns over 51 games with five starts.

Overton later began to play professionally in the United States Football League, playing for the Philadelphia Stars. He recorded 42 catches for 533 yards and five touchdowns over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Overton was a two-time national champion and four-time ACC champion, and caught touchdown pass in each of the first two games of Clemson’s 2018 national championship season, including Clemson’s next-to-last score of its 28-26 win at Texas A&M in 2018.

During his senior year in 2019, Overton recorded a career year, catching 22 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

That same year, he received the Leather Helmet Award as the “Most Valuable Player” of the Clemson/Boston College game for a performance in which he posted 119 yards and three touchdowns on only three receptions.

According to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call regarding a loud party and noise disturbance at Spring Mill Road, in Greensboro. Deputies received information indicating that a shooting at also occurred at the same location.

Deputies located the victim, identified as Overton, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation remains an active and ongoing, homicide investigation.

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