Crompton takes the reins at Tuscola
Mar. 27—It's not often a high school snares a former NFL quarterback to be its next head football coach.
Tuscola High School did just that Monday night, announcing Jonathan Crompton, former Tennessee Volunteer and NFL draft pick, as the next head coach.
Crompton is no stranger to C.E. Weatherby Stadium, however.
After a two-year stint at Erwin High School in Asheville, Crompton followed his head coach to Tuscola in 2003, where the future pro built a five-star resume.
Five-star prospect
With Crompton under center, the Mountaineers started the 2003 season 8-0 until they ran into a loaded Asheville High squad.
The Cougars had two future NFL players on their roster — Johnny White and Crezdon Butler — and Tuscola fell 35-28.
The 8-0 run included a 27-0 thrashing of Pisgah, in which Crompton threw one touchdown pass and ran for another.
Tuscola qualified for the state playoffs but was knocked off by High Point Central. Crompton was named to the All-MAC team.
The Mountaineers broke out to a 5-0 start in 2004, including a 28-16 win at Pisgah.
A late-season loss to Asheville put Tuscola in second place and the No. 6 seed in the state playoffs.
The Mounties defeated Hunter Huss 42-22 in the first round and earned another shot at Asheville in the second round.
The Cougars scored one touchdown in every quarter to end Tuscola's season 28-14.
Crompton was named to N.C. Shrine Bowl, played in the U.S. Army All-American game and was named a Parade All-American.
He was listed as a five-star recruit by Scout.com and the third-ranked quarterback in the class of 2005 behind Mark Sanchez and Ryan Perrilloux.
Mountaineer to Volunteer
Crompton accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Tennessee in 2005 under head coach Phillip Fulmer, who had been head coach since 1992.
He played in seven games for the Vols in 2006, starting against Arkansas.
He played in seven games again in 2007. Crompton started the first four games and the final two of the 2008 season.
After Fulmer was fired in 2008, Lane Kiffin was hired as head coach.
In 2009, Crompton started 12 of 13 games. He completed 224 passes for 2,800 yards, placing him in the top ten in both season categories all-time for Tennessee.
He also surpassed Heath Shuler's single-season best of 25 touchdown passes that season.
Behind Crompton, Tennessee went 7-6 and earned a bowl game bid.
Drafted into the pros
The San Diego Chargers selected Crompton 168th (5th round) overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.
He made his NFL debut relieving Philip Rivers in a pre-season game versus the Chicago Bears on Aug. 24, 2010.
The Chargers cut Crompton in early September, but the Patriots signed him to the practice squad in November, and he finished the 2010 season with New England.
After a few stints on other teams' rosters, Crompton signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 2013.
He earned regular-season snaps in seven games that season.
After the season, he was picked up by the Montreal Alouettes in 2014.
He had his greatest success as a pro in Montreal, passing for over 2,400 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The team made the CFL playoffs and won their first game but fell to Hamilton in the Eastern Division final.
Crompton returned to the Alouettes as the starting quarterback in 2015 but sustained a shoulder injury in the season opener.
He wound up only playing in three games that season and was released in 2017.
