UNC football coach Tray Scott looks to restore defensive line

Tray Scott, the youngest member of the North Carolina coaching staff, never hesitates to get his hands dirty.

Whether it’s 7 a.m. in the weight room or in the middle of a drill as he sprints past players, the 30-year-old defensive line coach brings around-the-clock energy and physicality to the Tar Heels’ defensive front.

“I want to show these guys exactly what I want them to do,” Scott said after Thursday’s practice, his gray UNC sweatshirt nearly black from perspiration. “In the grand scheme of things, they respond a little bit more when I show them."

For years, the UNC defense forged its identity in the trenches. But after the defensive line proved weak in 2014, Scott is now tasked with rebuilding the unit from the bottom up.

His project starts with the culture he is creating.

Over the past two decades, 20 Tar Heel defensive linemen have been picked in the NFL draft. Ten of those selections came in the first round. The ebb and flow of talent resulted in UNC claiming the title of “D-Line U.”

“Defensive linemen come to this school. That’s really what I knew about (UNC),” said Scott, who most recently served two years as the defensive line coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin. “That was the extent of my knowledge, and once I got here and learned a little bit more, I knew it was going to be very easy to get defensive linemen here.”

But the group currently entrusted to Scott appeared helpless at times in 2014. The Tar Heels lacked a consistent pass rush or run-stopping ability; opposing offenses dismantled a defense that ranked 117th among 125 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

At UT Martin, Scott led a unit that recorded more than 50 sacks and 160 tackles for loss during his tenure. Since arriving at UNC in March, he has instilled a businesslike approach.

“Tray’s a great teacher, and he keeps driving them and grinding them,” defensive coordinator Gene Chizik said. “He’s not settling for anything but perfection.”

Just eight years removed from playing defensive tackle at Arkansas Tech, Scott relates to his positional players in a way few coaches can.

“To the defensive line, he’s brought that player’s coach mentality,” said sophomore defensive end Dajaun Drennon. “He’s our friend off the field, laughs with us, jokes with us and everything. But on the field, he has that switch where he can be the serious guy. He’ll get on us, but he still loves us at the end of the day.”

Justin Thomason and Jessie Rogers are the lone seniors on a predominantly young line, which includes five sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and three freshmen. But despite an overwhelming number of underclassmen, Scott uses a deep rotation in practices to spur competition.

“There’s no pecking order. It doesn’t really matter,” said sophomore defensive tackle Nazair Jones. “It’s all about competition.”

With the Tar Heels’ season opener against South Carolina looming, Scott said the battle at multiple spots remains neck-and-neck.

And while steps have been taken toward rejuvenating UNC’s success at the position, Scott continues to lay the foundation through his teachings.

“Guys have to slow down and focus on what they’re doing at this moment, take care of that ... and continue to progress,” he said. “We have really good players here. We have guys that want to be good, so it makes it really easy as a coach when you’re trying to instruct them and they’re trying to get what you want.”

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