Diondre Overton Balancing Life, College Choices as a 2-Sport Star Athlete

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It only takes a couple of minutes to watch Diondre Overton and know he's got Division I talent. At last weekend's The Opening Charlotte regional, he not only looked the part physically but also impressed those in attendance during drills.

At 6'5" and 194 pounds, Overton is the big, tall receiver that many football programs desire. He also happens to be the versatile slasher and defender that many basketball programs look for.

Overton is one of the few athletes nationwide who has a legitimate chance of being a two-sport college standout in football and basketball. He had focused his attention solely on basketball prior to this past year—he starred as a wide receiver in the fall and then a combo guard in the winter for Walter Hines Page Senior High School in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"Football was my first love when I was little, but then I kind of gave it up and started playing basketball," Overton said. "I hadn't played football until this past year. It was my first year coming back since fifth grade."

Overton said an injury early in his football days made him give basketball a strong look—and the decision didn't turn out to be a bad one. According to MaxPreps.com, he averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game as a junior.

Overton has emerged into an athlete who can play the point guard and shooting guard spots as well as the small forward position. Additionally, he can defend the power forward spot if necessary.

He has looks from several hoops programs, including Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Tennessee. During the AAU spring and summer basketball seasons, Overton plays for the Karolina Diamonds (along with arguably the nation's best high school dunker, 2016's Kwe Parker), and he added that he would run with Team Felton Basketball during Memorial Day weekend.

Although he found a home on the basketball court, playing varsity football always was on Overton's to-do list, and he didn't disappoint his junior year. He caught 62 passes for 1,187 yards and 11 touchdowns, according to his Rivals.com page.

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Overton even managed to use some of his basketball skills to his advantage on the football field.

"In playing basketball, a lot transfers over to football, especially with boxing out," he said. "If you're boxing out on a curl [route] or something like that, you can seal your man and then be able to secure the ball."

Overton has parlayed his playmaking ability and physical nature on the football field into an offer list that is 17 schools strong. Among the schools that have made offers are Clemson, Tennessee, Boston College, Michigan and in-state schools Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State.

"The recruiting process is going great," Overton said. "I'm getting new offers almost every week. What I expect in a winning program is a great coaching staff and great facility for educational program. I think the wide receiver coach plays a key role in it. He's who I'll be with every day to help get me to my full potential."

Clemson and Tennessee are believed to be the two schools in the best spot to land Overton. He has good relationships with head coach Dabo Swinney, receivers coach Jeff Scott and offensive lineman coach Robbie Caldwell at Clemson, as well as head coach Butch Jones, receivers coach Zach Azzanni and tight ends coach Mark Elder from Tennessee.

The best part: Overton said both schools are interested in him playing football and basketball—even though being a two-sport athlete is not an X-factor in his overall decision.

"I don't know if I'm completely focused on the basketball part, but I have brought it up, and a couple of schools have said I can do both," Overton said. "I may try it my freshman year, and we'll see how it goes from there."

Overton said he isn't in any rush to make a decision on where he's going to go to school. He likes the fact that he's receiving new interest almost daily; in fact, Alabama and Nebraska are two schools that have inquired about him, and he said he also would like to get more information on Michigan.

A decision, he said, could come before the start of the 2015 football season, but there's no guarantee with that. All he wants is to effectively weigh his options and make the right decision when he feels it's the most opportune time.

"It's a one-time thing, and you have to evaluate as many schools as possible and just enjoy it all," he said. "[Playing both sports] is something I think about, but I think my future may be in football."

For now, he's going to take everything in stride—particularly when he has two sports to enjoy the rest of the spring and the summer.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles