The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/558143
PREP PROFILES Diondre Overton's abilities on the basketball court and the football field see plenty of overlap. The 6-5, 194-pounder's size serves him well in both sports, but it's made him more of a rare specimen in football, where he's a size mismatch on the outside at wide receiver. He caught 31 passes for 577 yards (18.6 per reception) and four touch - downs as a junior, w h i c h h e l p e d him understand that his athletic future is more likely to be staged on the gridiron rather than the hardwood. " W h e n y o u pop in my high - lights, I'm pretty sure that you're going to like the way that I move at my height," he said. "That's what a lot of coaches tell me: I move pretty good for my height. I have sure hands, I catch the ball away from my body. They love the way I do certain things, and they see a lot of potential in me, especially being that this is my first year back playing football since fourth or fifth grade. I've been a basketball guy. "Right now, some schools are talk - ing about letting me play both my freshman year, but I think ultimately I'm going to decide to play football because I've realized that I'll have more opportunities in football when it comes to offers, positions on a team and how many players are on a team." Michigan is one of the programs that likes him best reeling in touch - down passes, rather than draining threes from the wing. U-M offered him May 6, and though the Wol- verines have just a few spots avail- able for wide receivers in the 2016 class, he intends to check out what the program is all about. "Just building my interest more, I'll try to get out to as many col - leges as I can," he said. "I know I have some visits coming up soon. Michigan is defi - nitely one — when I get on the phone with them, I'm pretty sure we'll ar- range something like that." The competition includes Clemson, Tennessee, Nebraska and West Vir- ginia, among several others. Bring- ing Overton on campus is going to be Michigan's best shot at landing a commitment from the Tar Heel State star. Overton is Rivals.com's No. 7 ris - ing senior in North Carolina, and No. 26 wide receiver and No. 132 overall prospect nationally. He plans to wait until after official visits to make his college commitment. — Tim Sullivan Two-Sport Star Considers U-M Football ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ Page High School Greensboro, N.C. Class: 2016 Position: Wide Receiver Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 194 Rivals.com Rankings: No. 7 player in North Carolina, and No. 26 wide re- ceiver and No. 132 overall prospect nationally Diondre Overton