Football
- Title:
- Defensive Line Coach
- Phone:
- 919-966-2575
The youngest member of the Carolina coaching staff, Tray Scott joined the Tar Heels as the defensive line coach in 2015.
In his first year in Chapel Hill, Scott was part of a defensive staff that engineered the best turnaround in college football. Carolina was the nation’s most improved Power 5 defense, averaging 14.5 points fewer than the previous year, while also showing the most improvement from the previous year in pass defense efficiency. The Tar Heels led the ACC in interceptions, turnovers gained, turnover margin and passes defended en route to a record-setting 11-3 season and a berth in the ACC Championship Game and a No. 15 final ranking in both national polls.
Scott coached a young defensive line that accounted for 19 of the Tar Heels’ 23 sacks. Tackle Nazair Jones earned All-ACC honors, while end Mikey Bart posted a team-best 6.5 sacks.
A rising star in the coaching ranks, Scott most recently served two seasons as the defensive line coach at UT Martin, an FCS team in the Ohio Valley Conference. Scott headed an aggressive Skyhawk defense that recorded more than 50 sacks and 160 tackles for loss during his tenure.
In 2013, Scott helped coach a defense that tallied 28 sacks and 36 quarterback hurries. He coached DJ Roberts, who earned All-OVC first team accolades after putting together his third straight season of at least 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Before joining the Skyhawks, Scott spent one season as a defensive line graduate assistant at Ole Miss under head coach Hugh Freeze.
In 2012, the Rebels posted a 7-6 record with a win over Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. Scott helped guide a swarming defense that ranked fourth in the country in tackles for loss (103), 11th in the country in sacks (38) and a Top 25 rushing defense (129.3 yards per game).
On Oct. 6, Ole Miss forced a season-high six turnovers (four fumbles, two interceptions) against a Texas A&M team that had only turned the ball over once in its first four games. The Rebels sacked future Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel four times and tallied 13 tackles for loss against the Aggies.
At Ole Miss, Scott worked directly with Issac Gross, a Freshman All-America and Freshman All-Southeastern Conference defensive tackle. Gross registered 40 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup.
Before Ole Miss, Scott coached with Freeze at Arkansas State for two seasons. The Red Wolves finished 2011 with a 10-3 mark and a perfect 8-0 record in the Sun Belt Conference. Arkansas State rode a nine-game winning streak into the GoDaddy.com Bowl that season, capturing the conference championship in the process.
At Arkansas State, Scott coached Brandon Joiner, the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Joiner ranked fourth in nation with 13 sacks and was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Scott also served as a defensive graduate assistant at his alma mater, Arkansas Tech University, from the fall of 2008 through the spring of 2010. Coaching alongside Steve Mullins, he helped the Wonder Boys to a 9-3 overall record with a 6-2 Gulf South Conference mark in 2009.
As a player at Arkansas Tech, Scott was a four-year letterman from 2003-07. He helped Arkansas Tech to a 24-8 record from 2004-06, including a 10-2 overall mark and a national playoff appearance in 2004.
Scott prepped at Crossett High School in his hometown of Crossett, Ark.
Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Arkansas Tech in 2008. He also received his Master’s degree from Arkansas Tech in 2010. He is married to the former Sarah Fancher.
Tray Scott Coaching Year-By-Year
Year School Position
2015-present: North CarolinaDefensive Line Coach
2013-14: UT Martin Defensive Line Coach
2012: Mississippi Graduate Assistant Coach
2010-11: Arkansas State Graduate Assistant Coach
2008-10: Arkansas Tech Graduate Assistant Coach
