Jonathan Crompton says he felt ‘animosity’ towards Tennessee after his career ended

Former Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton apparently is still moving on from his experience with Vol fans when he was in Knoxville. The former UT signal caller, who played from 2006-09, and started for the Vols during his last two seasons, says he’s still getting over what he went through, specifically during the 2008 season.

“I’ve only been back to Tennessee twice for games since I left,” Crompton said via the Chattanooga Times Free Press. ”‘Animosity’ is probably the best word for how I felt for a long time. I know it wasn’t the majority of the fans, but there were enough examples that it really left a bad taste in my mouth. And I don’t want to have that bad taste toward my alma mater anymore. I really don’t.”

He added that he developed a “genuine dislike” for Tennessee. In 2008, Crompton was named the team’s starter, after sitting behind Erik Ainge for the Vols’ SEC East championship season. He struggled from the beginning of the season. After a 14-12 loss to Auburn during which the QB completed just eight passes and threw no touchdowns, he was benched for four games in the middle of the season. He played sparingly at the end of the season.

During that 5-7 season, Phillip Fulmer’s last in Knoxville, the fans were so unhappy with Compton that he received death threats via email, and a number of harassing phone calls after his number was made public on the internet. Crompton made the revelations the summer before his 2009 season to ESPN.

He added that it’s “hard to forget” some of the things that certain fans did to him and his family. Some of them sound disturbing indeed.

The frustration from the Vols fan base led some of the same people who had hailed his arrival as a freshman to eventually cross the line from rude to downright vicious, including one night after a loss when a stranger approached Crompton’s mother and told her he hoped that Jonathan and the entire family would die in a car crash.

There were other similar verbal run-ins, some that escalated to the point of his family having to be protected from physical assault inside or near the stadium and more than one threat against Jonathan’s safety.

After Crompton’s rough junior season, he returned in 2009 with new head coach Lane Kiffin’s arrival. The QB rebounded well, throwing for 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns during his final season in Knoxville. In the interview, Crompton also praised Kiffin, who made Tennessee fans livid when he bolted for the USC job after just one season with the Vols.

“I know there are a lot of Tennessee fans who don’t like him because he left, but Coach Kiffin was one of the best coaches I ever played for at any level,” Crompton said. “I would’ve run through a wall for him. He did a lot to help me develop as a quarterback.”

Given how Crompton and his was treated by some Tennessee fans, you can’t blame him for feeling the way he does toward the fanbase.