WAYNESVILLE, N. C. - High in the Appalachian Mountains, Jonathan Crompton is closing out a long day. With nearly 12 hours of hard work behind him, he is enjoying himself, passing the football with former Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler.

Crompton's technique is impressive, with a smooth throwing motion and crisp footwork. Coaches say the Tuscola High School quarterback has more than a good arm and strong mechanics. They say he has a "sixth sense" when it comes to making plays.

The combination makes him one of the highest-rated high school quarterbacks in the country.

Tennessee is considered to be Crompton's college favorite, but he has fielded offers from Miami, Michigan, Georgia, and other members of college football's elite. He will tell all but one "No thanks," when he announces his commitment Friday afternoon at his high school.

All this without taking a single official visit. All this before his senior season has even started.

Why is Crompton so sure so soon? Why might he sign with UT knowing this year's promising freshmen quarterbacks will have a yearlong head start?

It's a matter of confidence.

Natural Comparison The scenery is stunning. The work is grueling.

"This is the only flat land in this area," Shuler said. "The rest is either straight up or straight down."

Shuler's 30 acres are buzzing with activity, including local high school students who work for the local legend. Shuler, who grew up in nearby Bryson City, contacts local football coaches each year to provide the labor. He says it's his way of giving back to the community.

Shuler has his workforce hanging a fence to surround the property. More than 200 bare posts are in the ground, all placed by Shuler and Crompton.

"I think there's two sides to Jonathan," said Shuler, who knew Crompton before he was a star high school quarterback. "There's the athletic side. Then there's the side that I see. He's a good kid who comes from a great background."

Why would a 16-year-old spend his summer working on a farm?

"It'll get you mentally and physically tough," Crompton said. "More mentally than anything. Being 16 years old, working eight hours a day, five days a week, you just have to get through it."

Every weekday morning, Crompton lifts weights from 6:30-7:30. Then, he throws with his teammates until 8. Next, he works on Shuler's estate until 5 p.m. Finally, he gets to throw with Shuler.

Has he ever been tempted to simply relax during the summer?

"Yeah, but you can't do that because on Friday nights you might be tempted to say, 'Coach, take me out,' " Crompton said. "You have to work through it."

The comparisons between Crompton and Shuler are unavoidable. Their hometowns are fewer than 30 miles apart. Both bring athleticism to the quarterback position. Both agree Shuler was a bit faster at the same age. Crompton is slightly more polished than Shuler at the same age.

Those similarities have created a bond.

"It's a unique one," Crompton says of his relationship with Shuler. "He's like my big brother. We like to just hang out.

"Now that I know him, he's just like any other person to me. I feel like I've known him my whole life even though I've only known him three years."

Crompton says being around Shuler gives him something to strive for and makes his dreams seem more realistic. However, he says he doesn't like to think that way. He prefers to stay focused on the task at hand.

On Shuler's farm, there are plenty of tasks.

Special Relationship Every Friday night for three years during middle school, Crompton would hold Travis Noland's clipboard and pace the sidelines with Erwin High School's coach.

Crompton and Noland both saw potential in each other. Noland saw a special throwing motion when he watched Crompton in midget-league football. Crompton saw an opportunity to learn from Noland, a former Appalachian State quarterback. The two hit it off instantly.

"He's like a second father to me," Crompton said. "When he came to talk to my midget team, I knew I was going to play for that man one day."

Their relationship isn't always father-son or coach-player. Sometimes, it's just a couple of quarterbacks.

"Quarterback is a position that you have to play to understand," Noland said. "It's almost like being a great golfer or an average golfer. The great golfer can see things the average golfer can't. Sometimes as quarterbacks, (Jonathan and I) can relate on and off the field because of our experiences."

Crompton's experiences during his freshman year were painfully tough.

Noland didn't want his young quarterback feeling the Friday-night pressure too early. So Crompton played his freshman year on the junior varsity team.

Noland had him throw 40 passes a game to improve under fire. And with an inexperienced offensive line, there was plenty of fire.

"It was awful," Crompton's father, David, said. "He got hit so hard one time that it sounded like a gun went off. I went to my car and cried. Travis (Noland) asked me to trust him and I did."

When Crompton's sophomore year began, he was ready. He completed 123 of 263 passes for 1,705 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Erwin won its first five games but lost its next five and was bounced out of the playoffs in the first round. Crompton and Noland were disappointed, but a greater opportunity would soon present itself.

Noland's success at Erwin did not go unnoticed. Tuscola High School, which offered better facilities and more talent, was looking for a head coach when Doug Brooks retired after 22 years. Noland applied.

Tuscola offered, and Noland accepted. Crompton steadfastly followed.

"I knew where I was going," Crompton said. "(My parents) wanted to make some other trips just to make sure. But if I won a championship somewhere else and walked off the sideline and didn't see (Noland), I didn't want the ring."

The Cromptons followed their son's wishes. They found a house in Tuscola's zone, moved, and registered as soon as they could.

Tuscola won the first three games while adjusting to a new quarterback, coaching staff, and offensive system. Then came Crompton's breakout performance.

"We went to Smoky Mountain, which is a big conference game," Noland said. "We were down 29-10 with five minutes to go in the third quarter. We wound up winning the game 39-29. At that point, our players realized what a special player we had playing quarterback."

Crompton led scoring drives on Tuscola's last four possessions. He never saw the go-ahead touchdown catch. After releasing the ball, he turned to the sideline with his index finger in the air.

Crompton told the Asheville Citizen Times, "I knew he was going to score. I could feel it."

With Noland and Crompton, Tuscola improved from 2-8 to 9-2. Attendance rose dramatically. Only a disappointing playoff loss tarnished the season.

"It's like they're attached at the hip when they're on the football field, especially in the hurry-up offense," David Crompton said. "There could be 107,000 in Neyland Stadium and those two would think they were the only ones there."

There are similarities between Noland and Tennessee offensive coordinator Randy Sanders. Both are young, pensive offensive coaches who value close relationships with their quarterbacks.

Road Trip The idea came from former Rice and Duke head coach Fred Goldsmith, who now coaches at Franklin High in Waynesville. He advised David Crompton to edit a highlight tape and take it to college coaches.

After Jonathan's sophomore season, David wanted to know what he had. Was Jonathan special or was David just another proud father?

Jonathan's dad took a week off work to visit a handful of schools with his son. The night before they left, David stayed up until 4 a.m. editing 20 minutes worth of game film.

"I was afraid of what (the college coaches) might say," Jonathan said.

Said David: "We didn't know if Jonathan was good enough to play at Mars Hill, Western Carolina, or Division I. We just didn't know."

The first stop was UT, one of David's favorite programs. They were grateful that UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders took time for them.

"It was unbelievable (meeting him)," Jonathan said. "Here's a little kid from Podunk N.C. I wasn't even sure I should be there."

Jonathan said he expected major college coaches to recommend lower-level schools such as Western Carolina or Appalachian State. He remembers Sanders quietly watching the tape.

"He was real quiet," Crompton said. "I'm thinking 'This is a bad thing.' I was sliding back in my chair.

"He watched five or six plays over and over. That made me mad because we had stayed up so late (editing the tape)."

Crompton said the two started talking about defensive coverages and quarterback reads. Still believing Sanders was disinterested, Crompton, wanted to salvage the time by learning from a college coach.

"After watching about seven minutes of the film, he stopped the tape and said, 'If Coach Fulmer was here, I'd offer you a scholarship right now on the spot,' " David Crompton said. "I almost fell out of my chair. I was stunned."

According to David Crompton, Clemson's Tommy Bowden said he had never offered a 15-year-old prospect a scholarship, until Jonathan.

The Cromptons visited three other schools that week: North Carolina State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. All offered Crompton a scholarship immediately. In disbelief, the two headed back to Waynesville.

Sanders, who cannot comment specifically on Crompton as per NCAA rules, said each one of his offensive coaches receive 20 to 30 unsolicited highlight tapes a year. Sanders said receiving a scholarship offer from such a visit is, at best, a long shot.

"Most often, it doesn't work out," Sanders said. "The coverage of recruiting today is so extensive that not many guys get lost in the shuffle."

Why Now? Crompton will make his announcement Friday, then hope the phone calls slow down. He says he will "probably not" take any official visits other than Tennessee.

The commitment is a non-binding verbal contract. However, Crompton says he won't feel obligated to talk to college coaches after his announcement. Instead, he'll focus on school and football.

"We're worn out," David Crompton said.

His wife, Janet, said the recruiting has taken its toll.

"Coaches say this is early in the recruiting process," Janet said. "But this has been going on since Jonathan was 15. (Our family) fought the whole month of May (when college coaches can call prospects)."

Crompton has another reason for making an early commitment - a painful playoff elimination that still haunts him.

"Since November 7, 2003, all I've thought about is getting back on that football field," he said. "I've got to get better.

"In my mind, I let us lose. I can't accept that. I threw an interception on the 5-yard line that was run back for a touchdown, and we lost by three points. I'll take the blame."

Crompton will have plenty of competition if he goes to UT. Brent Schaeffer of Deerfield Beach, Fla., is on campus working with UT receivers. Erik Ainge will arrive from Oregon next month. Both are highly regarded quarterback prospects.

Still, if Crompton goes to Tennessee, he likes his chances.

"I'll beat them out when I get there," Crompton said. "I'll be like Peyton Manning when he was there. I'll be the first one in the meeting, shutting the door behind me so it locks.

"I'm always going to have that edge. That's how I've always been. I'm the first one in the locker room and the last one to leave every day. I like playing older guys. That makes me better."

Crompton said there was no chance he would change his mind after announcing his commitment Friday.

"Where I'm going is where I feel the most comfortable," he said. "I feel like I'll get a chance to compete.

"I don't know how long it'll take me to start, but I'll start before I leave."