ODU Lineman Has Been a Star On the Field And In the Classroom

December 11, 2014

Tyler Compton

Tyler Compton, who graduated with a 3.97 grade point average in mathematics at the Old Dominion University fall Commencement exercises on Saturday, Dec. 12, hopes to one day work in corporate risk management.

"I'm fascinated with using the data to make decisions that can affect a company's survival," said Compton, who is from Virginia Beach.

For the past two years, Compton has done his own form of rapid-fire risk management - every time the ODU Monarchs snap the football on offense.

A guard and center for the Monarchs this fall, Compton makes risk management decisions such as, "Will that mammoth defensive tackle be coming around on a stunt?" or "Is that menacing linebacker going to blitz, like he's been doing on third down?"

Compton, who came to ODU and walked on with the Monarchs three seasons ago, before earning a scholarship, said there is a lot more intricacy and rapid processing involved in playing offensive line than fans realize.

"It really takes a lot more thought than people think. Defensive coordinators test you on every snap," Compton said. "Our whole offensive line is pretty smart, and looking around at other teams, it seems like offensive line is the smartest position."

Compton has pushed himself on the field, earning eight starts this past season. He's pushed himself in math for as long as he can remember.

"I started really early. With things like puzzles, it was always something I wanted to learn faster and faster. Then when I took AP calculus in high school, it was just like a puzzle to me," Compton said.

Since he completed 45 AP credit hours by the time he graduated high school, Compton finished his undergraduate degree in two and a half years. In January, he will begin an undergraduate finance degree, and plans to enroll in a business analytics master's program or M.B.A. afterwards.

Compton is one of 22 student-athletes who earned degrees this semester, in majors ranging from geography, to exercise science, to criminal justice.

Mathematicians are needed to track the explosive growth of Old Dominion's football program in its first six years on the field, but for Compton, there were non-divisible remainders left after the team's 6-6 record this season.

"We can do a whole lot better. When we take the field, we expect to win every game," he said. "Ultimately, we want to be challenging for conference championships and going to a bowl game. That's our goal."

Compton has two years of eligibility left for the Monarchs.

As impressive as he's been on the field, he's also been a standout in the classroom. John Adam, professor of mathematics, has had Compton for two classes, and said he earned the top mark in class this past semester.

"Tyler is a very good student, and a really nice guy, and he's really big too!" Adam said. "After a string of, I think, five losses for the team, I asked Tyler in class how he was doing, and he said he was tired of losing. I told him not to worry because the next test would keep him humble. He took it well, and refrained from smacking me!"

Compton loved his classes with Adam, singling him out as a favorite professor, along with Przemyslaw Bogacki, associate professor of mathematics and his instructor for Calculus 3. "It's a challenging class, but Dr. Bogacki explained everything in the simplest terms possible."

He said Adam was a fabulous professor because of how he related mathematics to everyday issues and problems. "It made it seem more real," he said.

Compton could have attended other schools, and played for other teams, but he's proud to be a Monarch.

"It's close to home, and it's a great school, for football and for academics. It's really grown even in the time I've been here," Compton said.

That growth will continue, and Compton will continue to be a part of it in January, as he goes back to the weight room and the classroom after commencement, as a math-minded Monarch.