Following in the footsteps of previous winners Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray and Jalen Suggs,
Lebbeus Overton of
Milton (Ga.) has been named the 2020-21 MaxPreps Male High School Athlete of the Year. The two-sport star is the first sophomore to earn the award since Dorial Green-Beckham in 2009-10.
Overton is regarded as the nation's No. 1 football prospect in the Class of 2023 by
247Sports and helped Milton win a basketball state title in March.
"Wow, truly honored," Overton said when told he had been named MaxPreps Athlete of the Year.
On the gridiron, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive lineman was named to the MaxPreps All-America Team and recognized as the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year after piling up 70 tackles, 38 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks and forcing six fumbles for the 11-1 Eagles.
Overton will have two more years in the spotlight that comes with being a top recruit, but don't expect that to derail his ascent.
"It's hard to get around," Overton said of his No. 1 prospect status.
"People always mention it. I try not to let it bother me or affect my
style of play. I know what I expect of myself. If anything, it just
makes me want to push even harder."
"That's a lot for any person let alone a 16-year-old to navigate," Milton football coach Adam Clack
said. "It's a lot of pressure. Everyone wants a piece of you. But
clearly his family has done a tremendous job of keeping a very strong
and level head on his shoulders."
After football, Overton transitioned to the basketball court where he started at center for Milton's 28-3 state championship team, averaging 12 points and 12 rebounds per game. He earned all-state honorable mention and helped the Eagles finish with a No. 7 national ranking.
Despite Overton's youth and the fact it was his first football season at Milton after his family moved from Alabama, Todd Holcomb of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wasn't surprised at the selection.
A founding member of the Georgia High School Football Historians Association and 20-year staff writer for the AJC, Holcomb said he couldn't remember a better sophomore defensive front seven player in Georgia.
"Maybe Robert Nkemdiche," Holcomb said. "Manchild is the appropriate cliche (for Overton), but that's essentially what you've got in a 10th-grade athlete who can perform at that level in two high-profile sports in the highest classification of a state like Georgia."
Overton powers up for a bucket during a January showdown against perennial state power Wheeler.
Photo by John Rigg
Many consider the large school classifications in Georgia to be among the most competitive in the country. For Overton to dominate as a 15-year-old — he's now 16 — made it pretty easy to catapult him to the top of the 247Sports 2023 ratings.
He's already got 24 college offers, including Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Stanford and USC.
As imposing as Overton is, Clack said his mental capacity and football IQ may exceed his physicality. The pandemic wiped out spring football and much of the summer, so Clack and staff had little time to present new schemes on both sides of the ball.
"We run some pretty complex schemes on both sides of the ball, but it was uncanny how he absorbs the information, the way he studies and understands the game," Clack said. "Nothing gets by him. As physically impressive as he is, he's equally so or more so on the mental side."
It surely helps to have strong, athletic bloodlines.
His father Milton played on the offensive line at Oklahoma, his mother Eunice starred in volleyball at Kentucky and his brother Micaiah currently plays on the defensive line at Liberty.
Overton was exposed to all sports growing up and immediately took to the mental challenges of baseball. He also played soccer, golf and tennis.
Clack's first exposure to Overton was on the basketball court — he transferred to Milton halfway through his freshman year — and the football coach was blown away.
"It was like ‘Wow,' the way he moved so fluidly for such a big kid, handled the ball, he's really good," Clack said.
Spring football was about to start just as COVID-19 hit. Clack didn't see Overton until late August.
"It sure didn't take him long to make a very big impact," Clack said. "That kind of production against the competition he faced was pretty amazing."
But the cherry on top according to Clack is the entire person, leader and teammate.
"He's just as comfortable hanging with the alpha group or the kids who just want to be on the team," Clack said. "He cuts it up with the coaches. You'll see him at a lacrosse game or girls volleyball match. He's quickly become part of the community when he could have very easily got caught up in his own little world."
That goes back to being the top recruit or national Athlete of the Year.
Among other athletes considered for the award:
Jack Bech, St. Thomas More (Lafayette, La.): A second team MaxPreps All-American wide receiver, the LSU signee had 69 catches for 1,391 yards and 16 touchdowns, leading his team to a second straight Division II title. He was also a starter on the 32-4 basketball team that won its fourth straight state crown.
Bryce Foster, Katy Taylor (Katy, Texas): The 6-4, 330-pound second team MaxPreps All-American offensive lineman was also the national leader in two track and field events, the shot put (71 feet, 1 inch) and discus (210-10). He's enrolled at Texas A&M.
Julian Hammond, Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.): A quarterback and basketball standout, he led his football team to a second straight state title and was 23-0 as a starter. Was named the Colorado 5A boys basketball player of the year after averaging 22.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Travis Hunter, Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.): The top two-way football player in the country, he led the nation with 137 receptions for 1,746 yards and 24 touchdowns while tallying 51 tackles and eight interceptions on defense for the AAAAAAA runner-up. He is a three-year starter on the basketball team.
Will Taylor, Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.): The MaxPreps South Carolina Football Player of the Year threw for 2,237 yards and 21 touchdowns for the state champions. He's also projected to be a first round 2021 MLB Draft pick after hitting .429 with seven homers and 30 RBI.
Past MaxPreps Male Athletes of the Year2019-20 — Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Minn.)
2018-19 — Joe Girard III, Glen Falls (N.Y.)
2017-18 — Jordyn Adams, Green Hope (Cary, N.C.)
2016-17 — Tim Tawa, West Linn (Ore.)
2015-16 — Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills (Calif.)
2014-15 — Kyler Murray, Allen (Texas)
2013-14 — Patrick Mahomes, Whitehouse (Texas)
2012-13 — Derrick Henry, Yulee (Fla.)
2011-12 — Anthony Alford, Petal (Miss.)
2010-11 — Kasen Williams, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
2009-10 — Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.)
2008-09 — Garrett Gilbert, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)
2007-08 — Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette (Pa.)
