Milton football and basketball standout LT Overton has decided to skip his senior season and begin his college career a year early.
We know him as “LT”. As in LT Overton, the two-sport standout at Milton High School who has made headlines for his outstanding play on the football field and as one of the top contributors for the state champion Milton basketball team. Most recently Overton made headlines for declaring that he was “reclassifying,” meaning that Overton will become a 2022 graduate instead of graduating with his original class of 2023. This reclassification means his career at Milton is done.
The LT stands for Lebbeus Thomas. His mother, Eunice, says the name means, “He who has compassion,” and while anyone who has seen him wreck havoc on the football field would say he doesn’t show compassion for opposing offensive linemen and quarterbacks, it fits completely with Overton and a situation at his school.
Overton has become a protector of sorts for an undersized young man who unfortunately had been bullied by other students. Overton walks with the young man through the hallways in between classes and ensures that when he’s not able to be there by the young student’s side, friends and teammates step in to take over looking over him.
On the football field in his first two seasons at Milton, he recorded 29 sacks and 124 tackles, including 21.5 sacks last season. He is rated as a five-star recruit, with most recruiting services ranking him as the No. 2 overall player in the country. According to his mother, Overton has narrowed down his college choices to Oregon, The University of Georgia, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Ohio State.
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“We will visit the schools and then let LT make his decision,” his mother said.
There are a few factors that could possibly influence where Overton decides to go to college. His father, Milton, was a defensive lineman for Oklahoma. Overton was born in College Station, Texas, the home of the Aggies.
Both Ohio State and Oregon have offered Overton a dual scholarship, which would give him the unique opportunity of playing both football and basketball.
His brother, Macaiah, who is four years older than Overton, has been attending Liberty University on a football scholarship, but he has just announced that he will enter the transfer portal.
According to his mom, Macaiah suffered an injury and still has three seasons of eligibility remaining, so he will be looking for a new college football home, which means Macaiah will join his younger brother on official visits.
“Yes, they are going to take their official visits together,” their mother said.
If they both like the same school, the brothers could end up playing together.
“The last time they played together on the same team was when LT was in the eighth grade and Macaiah was a senior in Alabama at Bessemer,” their mother said.
According to her, the brothers plan to start making visits as early as mid-March.
“I believe we are looking at Oregon, then Athens, then Texas A&M,” she said.
Basketball was the sport LT Overton first played upon arriving at Milton as a freshman, and he cracked the starting lineup right away in one of the best basketball programs in the state of Georgia as a ninth-grader. Milton Athletic Director Gary “Sly” Sylvestri recalls first meeting Overton when he arrived at Milton.
“He certainly passed the eye test right away,” said Sylvestri. “He was an absolute physical specimen, but I was as struck by how well-mannered and articulate he was.”
The first opportunity to see Overton in action came once he joined coach Allen Whitehart’s Eagles on the court.
“It was incredible how agile he was for a big man,” Sylvestri said. “He was quick, could cut, could move, could change direction. I thought, ‘This kid can really play.’”
Whitehart offered his thoughts about his first impression of the freshman phenom as well.
“They just don’t build kids like this,” Whitehart said. “I was impressed at first with his confidence, his maturity, and then, on the court, I was blown away with how quick he was for a bigger guy. His footwork, it was all there.”
According to Whitehart, Overton would be virtually unstoppable if basketball was his primary sport.
“Right now, his time is dedicated about 60/40 football to basketball, which is how it should be, because football has been his primary sport,” said Whitehart. “But, if he was strictly dedicated to basketball, he would be scary good.”
LT Overton was born in College Station, Texas, but the family eventually moved a few times before arriving in Alabama, where his father was employed in the football administration offices at the University of Alabama. This was where Overton had his first close-up of the game of football, according to his mom.
“His father’s offices overlooked the Alabama practice fields, and LT would sit and watch the players go through practice,” she said. “He said, ‘Mom, when I get big, I’m going to take ‘em out just like those Alabama players are doing.’”
When he did get big enough to play, he didn’t exactly “take ‘em out” at first, but it didn’t take long for young Overton to learn. According to his mom, when Overton first played tackle football, he was just 6 years old, a year younger than the required age of 7 to play. But, after pleading with the director of the youth league to let her son play, he allowed the stocky 6-year-old to play. Overton struggled at first, but that didn’t last too long.
“He got put on his butt, and he was so frustrated, but he didn’t quit,” his mother said.
No, LT Overton walked off the field and studied the players from the safety of the sidelines. So, what happened after that?
“He never got knocked down again and actually won the defensive MVP that season,” his mother said.
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According to her, Overton continued to always be one year ahead every step of the way through his football career, which was one of the main reasons he was able to start on Bessemer’s varsity basketball and football teams as an eighth-grader.
While Overton may have gotten his football chops from his father, his mom was quite the athlete as well. Growing up in Chicago, she played volleyball in high school and went on to play collegiately at the University of Kentucky.
Sports, along with academics, have always been a big part of the family. Overton’s father has been in athletic administration at Alabama and Texas A&M. He now serves as the athletic director at Kennesaw State.
Overton’s mother has also worked in college administration, in advising and admissions. Upon graduating from Kentucky, she was interested in coaching and took a job as an assistant coach for the Southeast Missouri State volleyball team. She worked her way into the head coaching role at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. She moved from athletics into the world of academia, becoming an academic advisor.
That’s why, in addition to Overton’s athletic abilities, his mother knows the academic side is just as important. Overton is focused on his academics, and that comes from a lifetime of persistence from both of his parents.
“I run a very tight ship at home,” his mother said. “I stay on him.”
But, she admitted that Overton is a good self-motivator and that despite the attention he receives from the athletics, he always makes sure his academics are number one.
“If LT is studying and the college coaches call, he is very polite, but will tell them, ‘Coach, I’m studying right now, so if we can keep our conversation short or perhaps can talk another time,’” his mother said.
So, when discussing which college might have the upper hand in the recruiting battle for the Milton powerhouse defensive lineman, Overton’s mother says there is one main criteria that the family is looking for as far as his future college home is concerned.
“We want a school that will build a relationship with my son,” she said. “I don’t want the bells and whistles. I already know how it works. It’s not about the brick and mortar, or the fancy seats in the locker room, or the biggest weight room. None of that stuff matters. I want my son to know he can trust you.”
Since both of Overton’s parents had backgrounds in working with and analyzing talent and his mother was involved with his development both academically and athletically, Overton’s mother recognized that her son was special.
“There were a couple of times, but the one that really stands out is when he made the varsity football team as an eighth-grader,” she said. “He was like a beast exploding.”
Looking at Overton’s stats as an eighth-grader, you can see why his mother wasn’t too far off with her description. He had 57 tackles with six sacks, which includes 18 tackles for loss. The next season, his freshman season, is when the family moved to Georgia, and Overton’s two-sport career at Milton began.
With his recent announcement to reclassify, LT Overton’s football career at Milton is over. So, does his mother feel like LT Overton is ready to take that next step a little earlier than expected?
“Oh, he’s ready,” she said. “He’s already 2-3 weeks ahead with his curriculum and on-line courses, so, yes, he’s ready. No doubt.”
It sounds like his mom and dad have prepared him well.
