Georgia football will get a visit from 5-star defensive end Labbeus Overton on Mar. 19, and while it’s great the Dawgs get one, fans shouldn’t get too excited about it.
Overton reclassified from 2023 to the 2022 class and is working on taking visits to make a decision. While it’s great that Georgia got one of those visits, there are a few reasons Georgia fans should just let this one play out.
The Dawgs would love to have a player like Overton on their squad, but it seems like other things come with him to sign.
The Milton football player will take an official visit to Oregon on March 11, Georgia, and wrap up March at Texas A&M for an official visit on March 25. Overton is 6-4.5 and 265-pounds, and according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, he is the No. 18 overall, No. 5 defensive line, and the No. 3 player out of Georgia.
Georgia football fans shouldn’t get too excited about Labbeus Overton’s upcoming visit.
Overton and his brother have made it known they want to play together. His brother decided to enter the transfer portal when Overton reclassified, and it seems like they are a package deal.
Head coach Kirby Smart isn’t known for signing family members to get a more significant recruit. Outside JR Reed, Deangelo Gibbs, Deandre Swift, Mark Webb situations, Georgia hasn’t signed family members unless it will benefit the program somehow.
Smart isn’t going to start bringing in family members now, and Overton’s brother isn’t someone I think the Dawgs would make room for anyway.
Plus, Georgia doesn’t have the room scholarships-wise anyway. The Dawgs are over by more than a couple of scholarships, so it will be tight until they figure out who is staying and going.
Georgia will likely see a few more players leave the program to make that 85 scholarship maximum number, so adding two more to the equation is extremely difficult.
If Overton wanted to come by himself, Georgia could make that happen because he is that talented, and you make room for a playmaker like that. However, two spots aren’t, especially when the brother doesn’t provide something the Dawgs need for 2022.
Overton also has been high on the Texas A&M Aggies radar even when he was in the 2023 class. With him traveling to College Station for his last official visit, it’s kind of the worst kept secret that the Aggies will somehow find room for the Overton brothers.
He visited Jan. 30 and Oct. 9 to College Station for unofficial visits, plus his dad, Milton Overton, used to be the Associate AD at Texas A&M from 1999-09. There are a lot of ties to the Aggies for him, and right now, head coach Jimbo Fisher wants all the 5-stars he can get.
BREAKING: Five-Star DL Lebbeus Overton is down to 5️⃣ Schools and will reclassify to 2022
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 3, 2022
The 6’5 265 DL from Alpharetta, GA is ranked as the No. 2 Player in the nation (#2 DL)
Where Should He Go? 👇🏽https://t.co/xkpxIaTC3v pic.twitter.com/GcztbVvmGJ
Another team that could find a way to land him is Oregon because the Ducks have Dan Lanning, and he knows how to recruit guys like Overton. The Ducks could use his brother as well. Oklahoma was in the mix for a little while too. His dad played there as an offensive lineman in the early 90s, so the Sooners had a shot, but there is no word if he will visit there before making a decision.
Georgia got one of his official visits, so it is something to pay attention to, but right now, it’s doubtful Overton will pick the Dawgs and end up in Athens. Would he be huge to have on the roster? Sure, but it’s hard for the Dawgs to take him with him reclassifying because scholarship numbers aren’t what they would be for the 2023 group.
You never want to lose an in-state player like him, but the Dawgs have a ton of talent at the defensive end in the 2022 class already, so Georgia will be fine without signing him.