Update 8:42 PM EDT - Wes Rucker from the Chattanooga Times Free Press has full quotes from Kiffin and Crompton.
It's been an assumption since the end of spring practice, and one that Crompton worked hard to validate in the first three weeks of fall camp...and while our old friend #8 hasn't exactly set the world entirely on fire, he has done enough to maintain his edge over Nick Stephens, and be named officially today as the Vols' starting quarterback (KNS).
First...tough break for Stephens, who was injured all spring and really never got the full opportunity that Crompton saw with the new offense because of it. He becomes the backup (and the default option for 2010), returning to the role he was playing this time last year.
It's the same for Crompton, who gets his first taste of definitive good news in a Tennessee uniform since throwing two touchdown passes to Robert Meachem, which feels like it happened decades ago. His fresh start is now a reality, and the majority of Vol fans will be behind him at kickoff.
Kiffin was interviewed by Mel Kiper Jr. on ESPN Radio this weekend (which I listened to while driving but have been unable to find on the net), and he reiterated that he will not rotate quarterbacks - that the Vols would tailor their offensive system to the guy who was #1, and would utilize his full strengths. He again mentioned how important it was for the team to know who that guy was and to put their faith in him. Kiffin rotated quarterbacks in Oakland with little success.
Either way, Jonathan Crompton's destiny is in his own hands again...and the fate of the Vols' season goes with him.