William Compton III (born September 19, 1989) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who is a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He played college football at the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univers ...

and originally signed with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2013. He has also played for the Oakland Raiders,

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

, and the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

. He is also the co-host of the

Barstool Sports Barstool Sports is an American blog website and digital media company headquartered in New York City that produces content on sports and pop culture. Founded by David Portnoy in 2003 in Milton, Massachusetts, the company's two primary owners a ...

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

, ''Bussin' With The Boys'', along with former Titans offensive tackle

Taylor Lewan Taylor Curtis Lewan (born July 22, 1991) is an American football tackle for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan, where he twice received first-team All-American honors, and was sel ...

Early life

As a football player for North County High School, Compton played linebacker and wide receiver. A first-team all-state selection, Compton was listed as one of the top five players entering college from Missouri high schools. He chose to go to the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

over Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and others. He was redshirted in 2008. He won a starting position with the Cornhuskers the next year. Compton was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, and he was team captain as a senior in 2012. Compton went on to play in the 2013

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predom ...

Professional career

Washington Redskins

2013 season

On April 29, 2013, the

signed Compton to a three-year, $1.48 million

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

that includes a signing bonus of $5,000 as an

. Throughout training camp, Compton competed for a roster spot as a backup inside linebacker against Jeremy Kimbrough,

Keenan Robinson Keenan Robinson (born July 7, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Texas, and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He also played for the ...

, and Brandon Jenkins. On August 31, 2013, Compton was waived as a part of final roster cuts, but was signed to the team's practice squad after clearing waivers. On December 24, the team promoted Compton to the active roster after

Nick Barnett Nicholas Alexander Barnett (born May 27, 1981) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for Oregon State University, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He has played p ...

sustained a sprained MCL. On December 29, 2013, Compton made his professional regular season debut and recorded one solo tackle as the Redskins lost 20-6 at the New York Giants. He finished his rookie season with one tackle in one game.

2014 season

After the 2014 preseason, Compton remained on the active 53-man roster as a reserve inside linebacker. In Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, he made his first career start in place of an injured Perry Riley. In 2014, Compton ranked second on the team with 18 special teams stops.

2015 season

Originally beginning the 2015 season as a reserve inside linebacker, Compton filled in as a starter for an injured

. Head coach

Jay Gruden Jay Michael Gruden (born March 4, 1967) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is an offensive consultant for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the Washington ...

announced that Compton "cemented a role as a starter on this football team based on his play.” He recorded his first career interception on quarterback

Kellen Moore Kellen Christopher Moore (born July 5, 1988) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played six seasons in the NFL for the ...

in last game of the regular season against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

. Due to starting ten games, he earned a $222,465.82 bonus. He finished the 2015 season with a career-best 122 tackles, a sack, an interception, six passes defensed, and a fumble recovery.

2016 season

On March 4, 2016, the Redskins extended a tender to Compton. He started 15 games in 2016 recording 106 tackles, along with five passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and an interception.

2017 season

The Redskins re-signed Compton signed on April 24, 2017, on a restricted free agent tender. He was placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2017, after suffering a Lisfranc sprain.

Tennessee Titans

On April 2, 2018, Compton signed a one-year contract with the

New Orleans Saints

Compton signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

on August 21, 2019. He was placed on injured reserve on August 30, 2019. He was released from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 5.

Oakland Raiders

On October 30, 2019, Compton was signed by the Oakland Raiders.

Tennessee Titans (second stint)

Compton re-signed with the Titans on August 27, 2020. He was released on October 26, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on November 21 and 28 for the team's weeks 11 and 12 games against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

and Indianapolis Colts, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2020.

Las Vegas Raiders

On December 8, 2021, Compton signed with the practice squad of the

, and was signed to the active roster three days later. On January 11, 2022, Compton was cut from the Raiders. On November 21, 2022, Compton planned to sign with the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons, but eight days later he announced that the signing was unable to happen due to some of his affiliation with Barstool Sports.

Personal life

In 2019, Compton created a

called "Bussin with the Boys" along with former Titans offensive lineman

, which is part of the

podcast network. In 2021, former Washington Football Team cheerleader Charo Bishop announced she was engaged to Compton. On June 26, 2021, Compton and Bishop got married in Montana. On April 3, 2022, the couple welcomed daughter Cerulean Belle.

References

External links

Nebraska Cornhuskers bio

Tennessee Titans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Compton, Will 1989 births Living people American football linebackers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players People from Bonne Terre, Missouri Players of American football from Missouri Sportspeople from Greater St. Louis Tennessee Titans players Washington Redskins players New Orleans Saints players Oakland Raiders players Las Vegas Raiders players Barstool Sports people