Arrest in shooting of former Clemson WR Diondre Overton

A month after former Clemson wide receiver Diondre Overton was shot and killed at a party in Greensboro, North Carolina, authorities have made an arrest, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

Investigators with the Guilford Major Crimes Investigations Unit have obtained an arrest warrant for 20-year-old Jeremiah Diago Blanks on a charge of first-degree murder, according to a release from the department. Police traveled to Michigan and arrested Blanks in Detroit on Tuesday with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service. Blanks was charged with first-degree murder. He is being held at the Oakland County Jail in Pontiac, Michigan, pending extradition, according to the news release.

Police also said the investigation is ongoing.

According to a previous press release from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded to a call about “a loud party and noise disturbance” around 2:30 a.m. ET on September 7. While officers were en route, they were informed that a shooting had occurred, the release said. Overton was identified as the victim and pronounced dead at the scene “despite immediate medical attention.” He was 26.

Overton, a popular former receiver at Clemson, played for the Tigers from 2016 to 2019. He won two national titles with Clemson as a key reserve. Overton finished his Clemson career with 52 catches for 777 yards and seven touchdowns in 1,021 snaps played. In 2019, his final season, he was elected permanent team captain. He most recently played in the USFL and UFL.

Clemson honored Overton at its Sept. 7 home game against Appalachian State by letting quarterback Trent Pearman and safety Rob Billings run first down the hill in the Tigers’ famous stadium entrance. Both Pearman and Billings wear number 14, Overton’s former jersey number with the Tigers.

Emotional stuff: During the Tiger Walk, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney stops, kneels and blows a kiss to Diondre Overton’s captain’s plaque. Overton, a former Tigers wide receiver, has died at age 26, the team announced this morning pic.twitter.com/Be0K7vfzL7

— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) September 7, 2024

“It’s hard to process something like this that is so senseless,” Clemson coach Swinney said at the time of Overton’s death. “Just a beautiful, young life that was cut short at 26. But man, I love Diondre Overton. He is one of the best teammates we have had here. He was here for five years, a two-time national champion and was voted captain by his teammates.

Dabo Swinney was one of dozens of Clemson football players and coaches who attended the funeral of former Tigers wide receiver Diondre Overton in Greensboro yesterday. Here’s an opening excerpt from the impassioned, 12-minute eulogy he gave Overton: “He had a beautiful spirit.” pic.twitter.com/hjRv93JOkC

— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) September 20, 2024

“He was truly one of the nicest kids we’ve seen here and truly a great teammate. My heart hurts and my prayers are with his family.”

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(Photo: Perry Knotts/Getty Images)