Former Clemson Football Star Diondre Overton Dies at 26

Former Clemson Football Star Diondre Overton Dies at 26

Former Clemson University football star Diondre Overton has died. He was 26.

Clemson announced the wide receiver’s passing on Saturday, September 7.

“Clemson Football and the entire Clemson family are saddened by the passing of Clemson alumnus Diondre Overton,” the university’s football program also wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

A memorial plaque has been erected for Overton at his plaque on Tiger Walk outside Memorial Stadium on the South Carolina school’s campus.

According to a statement shared on X by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, Overton was shot and killed in the early hours of September 7. Officers “responded to a call of a loud party and noise disturbance” around 2:30 a.m. at 3205 Spring Mill Road in Greensboro, NC

Officers received an update en route to the scene that a shooting had occurred, the statement said. The victim, identified as Overton, was “pronounced dead at the scene,” according to the sheriff’s office, which noted that the incident “remains an active and ongoing homicide investigation.”

Overton — who was born in Greensboro — played for Clemson’s football team from 2016 to 2019, when the Tigers won two national championships. In his senior year, the late athlete was voted team captain, according to ABC News. During his career at Clemson, he caught 52 passes for 777 yards and seven touchdowns in 51 games with five starts.

Overton won the Leather Helmet Award as Most Valuable Player his senior year after Clemson’s game against Boston College, in which he threw for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns. Overton graduated from Clemson in 2019 with a degree in sports communications.

Diondre Overton in April 2024.

Wes Hale/UFL/Getty


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After graduating from Clemson, Overton briefly played soccer professionally for Canada’s FL’s Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Vienna Vikings of the European Football League, according to CBS Sports.

In 2022, the athlete was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars, according to the outlet, and spent two seasons there. Overton was recently selected to play for the UFL’s Memphis Showboats.

Diondre Overton in March 2024.

Fox Sport/UFL/Getty


Overton’s former teammates shared tributes online. Clemson alumnus and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins wrote on his Instagram Stories, “Brotha, I miss you already man. Love you 5L…. I’m really hurting right now. Rest in peace, big game.”

Amari Rodgers, another Clemson teammate of Overton’s, wrote on X: “Life ain’t fair man. Please tell the ones you love that you love them because you never know. Long live Dre.”

Clemson alumnus Xavier Thomas, who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals, posted on X: “BIGPLAYDRE.. Love you bro. Fly High Twin🥺💔.”