Will Compton’s high school coach believes Compton possesses the requisite athleticism to excel in major college football.

Compton’s work ethic also measures up well, the coach said.

“I’ve had some pretty good athletes over the years, guys with natural ability and speed and all that kind of stuff,” said David Leeds, head coach at North County High in Bonne Terre, Mo., a town of 4,700. “But Will’s by far the hardest worker of the bunch. He has the whole thing.”

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Compton, a senior-to-be at North County, verbally pledged Friday to join Nebraska’s 2008 recruiting class. The Huskers recruited Compton to play weakside linebacker.

Although Compton has linebacker size, “He’s quick enough and fast enough to move in the open field and cover receivers,” Leeds said. “He definitely has all of the tools, that’s for sure.”

Compton, who reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, said Nebraska football’s unyielding fan support and conscientious coaching staff were foremost on his list of reasons for pledging to the Huskers. Kevin Cosgrove, NU’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, played a lead role in Compton’s recruitment.

“Coach Cosgrove is my favorite coach, period,” Compton said. “Another thing that made me big on Nebraska is they’re the only (Division I) team in the state; there’s nobody else to cheer for. It’s just Nebraska. I knew it was the place when I was there.”

In selecting the Huskers, Compton turned down scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri and Vanderbilt. He becomes the 17th player known to have verbally pledged to the Huskers’ class of 2008.

Rated 15th nationally among middle linebackers by Scout. com and No. 13 by Rivals.com, Compton recorded 71 tackles last season, including 13 for losses, for North County, which plays in the state’s third-largest classification. He also rushed 64 times for 455 yards (7.1 per carry) and caught 51 passes for 855 yards (16.8).

“I’m more of an offensive threat than defensive threat in high school,” he said. “It’s honestly not hard to figure out our offense. If you can shut me down, every team should beat us.”

Leeds said Compton has played mostly safety in high school, but will move to middle linebacker this coming season.

“We’ll try to protect him with a couple of defensive linemen and let him run to the football,” Leeds said. “He has a nose for the ball. He can cover sideline to sideline, that’s for sure.”

Compton, rated as four-star prospect by Rivals.com, said he already has formed friendships with Blake Lawrence, a linebacker in Nebraska’s class of 2007, and Blaine Gabbert, a quarterback from suburban St. Louis who has verbally committed to the Huskers’ 2008 class.

A high-energy personality, Compton said he plans to play an active role in recruiting players to Nebraska. For instance, he has been in contact with running back Jonas Gray and linebacker Kenny Demens, four-star players from Country Day High in Detroit.

“There’s a lot of big-name recruits I talk to, and I mean a lot of them,” Compton said. “Everybody Nebraska’s recruiting, I have their numbers, and I text-message them all of the time. I honestly believe there will be several more to come. I think there will be a lot of people fighting for the final positions (in the class).”

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.