His address still says Waynesville, N.C. His home is Knoxville.

Jonathan Crompton has been a Vol for well over a year. It becomes official today along with a collection of talent that could give Tennessee the top ranked recruiting class in the nation.

If all goes according to plan, Tennessee should score big today as National Signing Day unfolds. Crompton and approximately 24 other prospects plan to sign their letter of intent to play football at UT.

The Vols have commitments from six players who are each widely considered one of the top 100 prospects in the nation and had eight players take part in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan 15. No school had more participants in the all-star event that invites the top 78 seniors.

There's not much of a drop-off from there. UT has seven prospects committed who are each widely considered one of the top 50 in the nation at their position. Three others are considered top 100 players.

To some extent, this class has been built around Crompton. The Tuscola High School quarterback publicly announced his UT intentions in June. Actually, he was the Vols' first commitment of the 2005 class when he told UT coach Phillip Fulmer of his decision after the Mississippi State game on Nov. 15, 2003.

Crompton was determined to be a Vol despite two quarterbacks signing with UT in 2004. He declined advances from Georgia, Notre Dame, North Carolina State, and Michigan.

No official visits.

No in-home visits.

By being so steadfast, Crompton made a statement to prospects nationwide that UT was well worth consideration.

"If I were in another position and I saw a quarterback was solid and he was being recruited by other schools, that would attract me," Crompton said Tuesday.

Jonathan's parents, David and Janet, believe their son's early commitment wasn't much of a story for Internet recruiting services. They said such services expect the most talented players in the nation to look around, vacillate, and, subsequently, generate interest among several schools and their fans.

The Cromptons said Jonathan's ability was underrated by "Internet geeks" because he wasn't deemed as newsworthy as other highly rated quarterbacks who postponed their announcement. Still, there was a payoff for the perceived disrespect.

"I don't care about rankings. I got to go down there all the time," Crompton said of Knoxville. "If I was wavering then I would be visit other places and be with other coaches. A relationship with your coaches is important."

When time allowed, Jonathan was one of UT's strongest recruiters. He was a frequent Knoxville visitor and made special trips to visit with other prospects touring UT.

"It kind of feels like I'm a recruiter because I've been committed so long," Crompton said. "I'm anxious to see some of the guys that commit. I've got to prove myself when I get there so I want to have the best class."

Crompton's "best class" started with Antioch tailback LaMarcus Coker, who committed to UT as a junior in December of 2003. Coker's Crompton-like fondness for UT is one of the reasons he balked at an official visit to Auburn.

Coker's commitment also had an impact on this signing class. One of the most exciting juniors in the Southeast didn't feel the need to look around; UT felt right. Coker seemed to waver slightly in his UT commitment in November but a planned official visit to Auburn was never made.

The Vols sent out another recruiting shockwave eight months later. UT named two freshman quarterbacks co-starters in the pre-season. The recruiting result was that UT went into the fall with a reputation of playing young players.

The next major development of UT's 2005 recruiting class could be felt 900 miles away, and, likely, beyond. Demetrice Morley de-committed to Florida after Ron Zook was fired. Then, he committed to UT in October.

Morley is one of the nation's top defensive backs, UT's most pressing need. More so, Morley and UT running backs coach Trooper Taylor opened the possibilities for more South Florida prospects to consider the Vols.

Names like Kenny Phillips, Ricky-Jean Francois, Vladimir Richard, and Gerald Williams became a part of UT's recruiting vernacular. Whether the Vols go 0-for-4 or 4-for-4 among those prospects today, the South Florida groundwork has been laid.

UT was on a recruiting roll as it closed out 2004. Nothing changed in 2005.

The Vols began the calendar year with a 38-7 romp over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. On national television, UT's offense was exciting and its defense was dominant.

The Vols' Texas bowl success continued two weeks later in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. Again UT shined on a national stage, securing three prospects: defensive lineman Raymond Henderson, linebacker Rico McCoy, and safety Adam Myers-White. The Vols, along with Iowa, were the talk of the event.

With all the previous success, there was still serious concern during the last week of January. UT's class was light on offensive linemen until UT received a commitment from one of the South's top players, Chris Scott, and an intriguing project player, Darius Myers, who has only played two years of organized football. UT heads into signing day with four offensive linemen committed.

No class is perfect. UT was not able to secure the state's two top players: wide receiver Patrick Turner and offensive lineman Michael Oher. Turner's infatuation with Southern California and Oher's ties to Ole Miss were too much for the Vols to overcome.

Those were two exceptions to a successful in-state recruiting effort. Placing a stronger emphasis on recruiting the Volunteer state, UT was able to take advantage of one of the most talented classes in Tennessee high school history. They received eight commitments from Tennessee seniors. Of the News Sentinel's top 11 prospects, UT secured seven commitments.

When UT's 2005 recruiting effort becomes complete today, one of the top classes in the nation will officially call Knoxville home.