Tragic Cause of Death Revealed for Clemson Tigers National Champion Receiver

A day after the Clemson Tigers learned of the passing of Diondre Overton, the cause of his death makes the loss all the more tragic.

Wide receiver Diondre Overton practices catching during Clemson Pro Day at the Poe Indoor Facility in Clemson Thursday, March 12, 2020. / Ken Ruinard / staff, Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

When Clemson announced the death of former wide receiver Diondre Overton on Saturday, it caused a ripple effect across gameday against Appalachian State.

Coach Dabo Swinney, leading his first Tiger Walk of the season, stopped at Overton’s plaque on the sidewalk, signifying his former role as a team captain, bent down, kissed his hand and placed his hand on Overton’s plaque.

After the Tigers won the game, Swinney told reporters that Overton’s death was “senseless.”

Now Tigers fans know why Swinney said that.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on the cause of Overton’s death, which was reported by multiple outlets, including The State.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at a residence in Greensboro, N.C., around 2:30 a.m. after there were reports of a loud party and a noise disturbance, which included a report of shots being fired. Greensboro was Overton’s hometown.

Deputies found that Overton had been shot and he was pronounced dead at the scene after he was provided medical aid.

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office considers Overton’s death an open homicide investigation.

Since leaving Clemson, Overton had been playing pro football. He went undrafted by the NFL and was signed by the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2021, but later released.

Later in 2021 he signed with the Vienna Vikings of the European League of Football

He played two seasons with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars, as he was drafted in the 16th round in 2022. In two seasons he made 42 catches for 533 yards and five touchdowns.

Late in 2023 he signed with the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers, but the league merged with the XFL and became the UFL, which led to the demise of the Maulers.

He was selected in January by Memphis in the UFL dispersal draft.

With the Tigers he was part of their 2016 and 2018 national championship teams. Overton caught a touchdown pass in each of the first two games of Clemson’s 2018 national championship season, including Clemson’s penultimate score of its 28-26 win at Texas A&M.

His best game was against Boston College, where he tied the school record for three touchdown receptions in a game and had a career-high 119 receiving yards.

Overton finished his Clemson career with 52 receptions for 777 yards and seven touchdowns.

The native of Greensboro, N.C., Overton signed with the Tigers out of Walter Hines Page High School. He was the number four overall prospect in the state according to 247Sports. He was a two-sport star at Hines where he also played basketball.