FORMER CLEMSON FOOTBALL STAR DIONDRE OVERTON DIES AT 26

The wide receiver played for the Clemson Tigers from 2016 until 2019, winning two national championships during his time there

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

Clemson announced the wide receiver's death on Saturday, Sept. 7.

"Clemson Football and the entire Clemson Family mourns 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."

No cause of death was revealed. A memorial for Overton has been created at his plaque on the Tiger Walk outside of Memorial Stadium on the South Carolina school's campus.

Overton — who was from Greensboro, North Carolina — played on Clemson's football team from 2016 to 2019, during which the Tigers clinched two national championships. In his senior year, the late athlete was voted team captain, per ABC News. Throughout his career at Clemson, he had 52 passes for 777 yards and seven touchdowns over 51 games with five starts.

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

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

After graduating from Clemson, Overton briefly played football at the professional level. He was part of Canada's FL's Hamilton Tiger Cats and the Vienna Vikings of the European Football League, according to CBS Sports.

In 2022, per the outlet, the athlete was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars and spent two seasons there. Overton was most recently selected to play on UFL's Memphis Showboats.

Overton's former teammates shared tributes online. Clemson alum and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins wrote on his Instagram Stories: "Brotha I miss you already man. I love you 5L....I'm hurting bad bout this right now. Rest Easy Big Play."

Amari Rodgers, another Clemson teammate of Overton's, wrote on X: "Life ain't fair man. Please tell your loved ones you love them cause you truly never know. Long live Dre."

Clemson alum Xavier Thomas, who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals, posted on X: "BIGPLAYDRE .. I love you bro. Fly High Twin🥺💔."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.

2024-09-07T20:14:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd