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Will Compton is an American-born American Football free agent linebacker who played collegiate football for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), and has since played for various National Football League (NFL) teams including the Washington Redskins – now ‘Commanders’ – Tennessee Titans, and Oakland Raiders.
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
William Earl Compton III, who is widely known by the nickname Playoff Willy, is a native of Bonne Terre, Missouri, born under the Virgo zodiac sign on 19 September 1989, which makes him 33 years old as of mid-2023. He’s the son of Bill and Kathy Compton, who sadly passed away in 2021. Will is the brother of the All-American champion wrestler, Cody Compton, who has represented the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in various wrestling tournaments.
Compton attended North County High School in St. Francois County, Missouri, where he played wide receiver and linebacker for the school’s team, and was listed as one of the Five Best Players joining college at a first-team all-state selection. He opted to join the University of Nebraska over Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, the University of Notre Dame in St. Joseph County, Indiana, and other institutions.
Collegiate Career
Compton played with UNL’s Cornhuskers for four seasons (2008-2012); the linebacker was redshirted in his freshman year. He thereafter became an Academic All-Big Ten choice and was selected to steer the team as its captain in his final year in the college. He recorded a total of 247 tackles in the 50 games he played in his college career, and his gameplay made Cornhuskers one of the top-rated pass defense teams in the US in 2012. In 2013, Will participated in the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl, which is a post-season all-star game played by draft-eligible players.
NFL Career – Washington Redskins
Compton signed a $1.48 million, 36-month contract as an undrafted free agent, that came with a $5,000 signing bonus with the Redskins on 29 April 2013. He immediately began training for a roster spot as an inside linebacker, together with Brandon Jenkins, Jeremy Kimbrough and Keenan Robinson. On 24 December 2013, Will was selected as the active roster replacing Nick Barnett, who had sustained an injury. Before the year ended, he made his regular season debut and in his first game, against the New York Giants, recording one tackle, and finished the 2013 season with the one game.
LB Will Compton (@_willcompton) expected to make his first-career start today. #WASvsAZ #HTTR pic.twitter.com/A1Vg7qE3If
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 12, 2014
On the
After 2014’s pre-season, Will remained Redskins’ active 53-man roster, and was a reserve inside linebacker. He finished the 2014 season with around 18 special teams stops and was ranked second in the squad. Will began the 2015 season as a reserve linebacker and was subsequently placed in the starting lineup replacing Keenan Robinson, who had been injured. He was commended by the then-head coach, Jay Michael Gruden, for his spectacular gameplay, and continued playing as a starter in various other games that followed. He later earned a $222,465 bonus for starting 10 games. Compton finished the season with six passes defended, 122 tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
The Redskins extended Compton’s contract on 4 March 2016 and he went on to start 15 more games, recording 106 tackles, two fumble recoveries, five passes defended, and an interception in the 2016 season. The team re-signed Will as a restricted free agent on 24 April 2017, but in November 2017, he suffered a Lisfranc sprain, which saw him placed on the injured reserve list on 14 November.
Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, and Oakland Raiders
Compton signed a 12-month contract with the Tennessee Titans on 2 April 2018, shortly after he left the Redskins, then after the end of his tender, he signed a contract with New Orleans Saints on 21 August 2019. However, he was placed on the injured reserve list nine days later, and was released from the reserve on 5 September of the same year. After he left the New Orlean Saints, Compton signed a contract with Oakland Raiders on 30 October 2019.
On 27 August 2020, Will re-signed a contract with Tennessee Titans after his tenure at Oakland Raiders ended. He was signed to the practice squad on 27 October that year, and made the active roster on 21 and 28 November when the Titans were playing against the Ravens and Indianapolis Colts in the squad’s weeks 11 and 12 games respectively. The player returned to the practice team after each game. On 1 December 2020, he was made the active roster again.
Las Vegas Raiders
Compton signed with Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad on 8 December 2021, after his contract with the Titans ended. He was promoted to the active roster on 11 December but was eliminated from the team on 11 January 2022. In November 2022, he took to social media to announce that he would be joining the Atlanta Falcons. However, a week later, he announced that he was unable to sign with the squad for some reason.
Social Media Presence and Podcast
Compton joined Twitter in February 2011 and is currently followed by around 317,000 followers under his username (@_willcompton). He is also active on Instagram (@_willcomton) with nearly 185,000 followers.
In 2019, Will and the American Football offensive tackle, Taylor Curtis Lewan, who has also played for Titans created the podcast, “Bussin with the Boys.” In the podcast, which is part of the Barstool Sports podcast network, Compton and Lewan discuss topics related to NFL and often have heartfelt, hilarious, and high-energy conversations with personalities from different industries.
Personal Life
Will is married to the fitness trainer, Charo Bishop. The duo met during an American Football game, where Bishop was cheerleading for the Washington Football Team squad in 2017. They dated for a few years before announcing their engagement in 2021, and eventually tied the knot in Montana on 26 June 2021. In September 2021, Will posted his picture together with his wife on Instagram, announcing that they were expecting a baby – he captioned it, ‘Buckle up boys. We have a baby girl on the way!!! Wilma Earl will be here in March 2022 & I have zero doubt she will be a daddy’s girl.’ The couple welcomed a daughter they named Cerulean Belle in April 2022.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Compton is of White ethnicity and has brown hair and a pair of black eyes. He is muscular, weighs around 235lbs (107kgs), and is 6ft (1.83m) tall. The linebacker sports a beard.
Net Worth
Compton has earned a decent sum from his Football career, which has enabled him to live a lavish life with his family. It’s reported that he earned around $96,000 in 2013 after signing with Washington Redskins. Moreover, it is speculated that he earned a signing bonus of $250,000 and an annual salary of $1.25 million after he was drafted by the Titans. Compton is worth approximately $5 million, as of 2023.
