Crompton to start throwing this week

After a positive doctor’s review last Thursday, Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton is scheduled to begin throwing light objects this week.

The junior is rehabilitating his right throwing elbow after undergoing arthroscopic surgery April 21 to remove loose bodies in the joint.

The surgery was deemed minor and the initial report from Dr. Richard Jones of Southeastern Sports Medicine was very positive.

“It went really well. We didn’t have any problems,” said Jones, who also performed surgery on Crompton’s right shoulder in 2005.

Had Crompton not had the surgery, he could have had continued soreness in the elbow and also run the risk of it locking up. There was a fear that it could have led to surgery in the fall, which would have caused Crompton to miss some games.

Crompton overcame soreness in the joint to participate in spring practice, sometimes with the help of painkillers. UT installed a new offense this spring under new offensive coordinator Dave Clawson.

“It was critical he was here this spring,” Clawson said of his projected starter. “It would have been hard to do it (install an offense) just in the fall.”

Clawson said Crompton never seemed hurt or dismayed despite the soreness.

“For a guy that had surgery pending, it was never an excuse for him at all,” Clawson said. “He never let on that it bothered him.”

Crompton is expected to be 100 percent by June, when UT begins its summer workouts. The voluntary drills primarily focus on the timing and chemistry between quarterback and receivers.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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