L.T. Overton, the state’s most highly recruited football junior, has played his last high school game.
The five-star defensive end announced Thursday morning that he will skip his senior season and reclassify as a 2022 prospect. He said he will announce his college destination in April and graduate in May.
“Starting to play high school in the eighth grade, I’ve already got that four-year experience,’’ Overton said. “Just graduating to that next level early, I think that will help me along the path, just grinding out in college earlier than expected.”
Overton is ranked as the Class of 2023′s No. 1 defensive lineman prospect in the country in the 247Sports Composite ranking and the No. 3 overall prospect. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds.
Overton named his five college choices as Oregon, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Georgia and Oklahoma. His father, Milton Overton, is a former Oklahoma player and current athletic director at Kennesaw State.
L.T. Overton was a first-team all-state player the past two seasons. As a junior, he had 16.5 tackles for losses despite playing only 12 of his team’s 15 games. He missed three early in the season with an injury but was back for Milton’s run to the Class 7A championship game, where Milton fell to Collins Hill.
Overton also is an outstanding basketball player, a member of the defending Class 7A champions. Milton is ranked No. 4 in Class 7A this season.
Overton is at least the fourth high-profile Georgia high school athlete to reclassify in recent years.
NBA star Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves reclassified to play a year early at Georgia. He became the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA in 2020.
Last year, Kell junior basketball player Scoot Henderson skipped his senior season to sign with the NBA G League, speeding up his entry into the NBA. Former Newton star basketball player Ashton Hagans also enrolled early at Kentucky and now plays in the G League.
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