Nashua's Jason Compoh is headed to the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League with rookie camp starting next week. (Instagram photo/graphic)

Plan B just became Plan A – as in Argonauts.

Nashua High School South alum Jason Compoh is heading to Toronto to get ready for the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts Rookie Camp that begins on May 6.

Compoh always felt that he’d wind up in Toronto, but the Argonauts, who first contacted him in February after seeing him at an All-Star game, were willing to wait to see if any NFL team expressed interest in the former Merrimack College defensive lineman.

“We were just waiting until after to draft to see if anything (with the NFL) went on,” Compoh said. “There was nothing going on, really, so after that they just made it official, sent over the papers, and I just signed them.”

The Argos contacted Compoh, who has put on 15 pounds since the season ended, with an interest in his pass rushing ability. He’ll go to their rookie camp and hope to make cut and be part of the Argonauts regular training camp when veterans report for May 10 start of camp. Camp goes to May 30 and the CFL season opens up on June 4.

“I still have to make the team,” he said, as CFL teams carry 44 players, usually 21 Canadian born players, 19-plus Americans, and one or two “Global” players, who are non-North American.

“I’m super excited,” Compoh said. “Honestly, this is going to be the first time I get to play football without worrying about school. I can just really go full out and see what type of player I can become.”

Compoh knows there will be more open field play. There’s 12 players on the field compared to American football’s 11, but defensive players have to line up a yard back. “And the field being wider, there might be a little bit of conditioning aspect to it,” he said. “That will be the main factor for me.

“And also things possibly being very high impact. They can have a tight end in motion, running five yards and come chip me. Just being aware of things going on. Those are things I’m going to have to worry about.”

Compoh will be watching CFL game tape the next few days to see just how different things are.

“I want to see how, like defenses are different, having more players on the field, I don’t know if that fundamentally changes how coverages are ran,” he said. “I’ve read stuff about it but I haven’t seen it so I really want to see how that works.”

He’ll also try to speak with former Merrimack College teammate Caleb Holden, a cornerback who played with Toronto a few years ago. And also former South standout Trevor Knight, who played in the CFL a few years ago.

“They said they liked my strength and my speed, my long arms, and how much size I’ve gained, they like where I’m at, too,” Compoh said. “And overall they said they really liked what they saw when I played in the senior All-Star game (the Dream Bowl in January).

“They’re mostly intrigued by my pass rush.”

Compoh hopes the Argonauts are more than intrigued in the next couple of weeks.