Tray Scott - Football Coach - University of Georgia Athletics

Tray Scott

Title:
Assistant Coach - Defensive Line

Tray Scott was named UGA defensive line coach on February 10, 2017, after serving two years in a similar position at the North Carolina. Scott was briefly hired as the defensive line coach at Ole Miss in January 2017, before accepting the Georgia job.

Since arriving in Athens, Scott has had five defensive linemen drafted, including four in the opening round.  In fact, Scott had a record-breaking three First Round selections (Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt) in 2022, including the No. 1 overall pick in Walker to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During his tenure at UGA, the Bulldogs have won the 2021 and 2022 CFP National Championships, won 12 or more games five times (2017, ’19, ’21, ’22, ‘23), won three SEC titles (2017, ’22, ’24) and earned eight consecutive appearances in a New Year’s Six Bowl game. The 2017 ‘Dogs also played in the CFP national championship game.

The 2024 Broyles Award nominee guided his unit to another batch of success in his eighth season with the Bulldogs. The defense began the year holding No. 14 Clemson to just three points and helped the Bulldogs blast top-ranked Texas 30-15 in Austin in front of a record crowd after the Longhorns arrived averaging 43.2 ppg.  Georgia’s defense flexed its muscle during the 2024 season’s fourth quarter, holding opponents to their lowest cumulative quarter total of 60 points.

Scott coached Mykel Williams to be a 2024 Lombardi Award semifinalist and an All-Southeastern Conference Second Team selection as Georgia had a variety of honors arise in the levels behind the defensive line. The defense had its third Butkus Award winner since 2017 when hybrid LB Jalon Walker garnered the honor in 2024.  Walker and S Malaki Starks earned First Team All-America honors while Walker and Starks joined Williams as All-SEC Second Team selections.  In addition, S KJ Bolden was a Freshman All-American and a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, ILB Chris Cole was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team and Starks was a Thorpe Award finalist.

Scott helped the Bulldogs go 13-1 in 2023, finishing the campaign with a 63-3 dismantling of No. 5 Florida State in the Capital One Orange Bowl.  The defense kept opponents to just 15.6 ppg, which ranked fifth nationally, and led the country in 3^rd Down Conversion Defense (25.7 percent).  Scott’s top three in the final statistics – Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson, Williams – totaled 62 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.

Starks earned First Team All-America honors in 2023 for the unit while Williams, Stackhouse, ILB Smael Mondon, DB Tykee Smith and DB Kamari Lassiter were all Second Team All-SEC selections. Starks was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

He was part of a coaching staff that led the 15-0 Bulldogs to the 2022 CFP National Championship with a 65-7 victory over TCU in the title game following a semifinal win over Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, 42-41. The Georgia defense finished the season ranked among the nation’s leaders in Rushing Defense (1st, 77.1), Scoring Defense (5th, 14.3 ppg), Red Zone Defense (2nd, 0.676) and Total Defense (9th, 296.8 ypg). Thanks in part to the push up front, the ‘Dogs defense also boasted two First Team All-Americans in DL Jalen Carter and DB Chris Smith, Butkus finalist (Jamon Dumas-Johnson), Lombardi finalist (Carter), Nagurski finalist (Smith) and Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award finalist (Starks).

Scott was part of a 2021 staff that led the Bulldogs to the CFP National Championship with 33-18 win over Alabama in the title game. Georgia set 21 school single-season team records, including Fewest Points Allowed, Fewest Average Points Allowed and Interception TDs. Georgia also finished first nationally in Red Zone Defense, second nationally in Rushing Defense and Passing Efficiency Defense. The Bulldog defense surrendered only three rushing and 10 passing TDs all year. Georgia set an NFL record with 15 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, including five first round defensive players and eight overall.

In 2021 alone, Georgia defensive linemen reaped a bounty of honors. Jordan Davis won the Outland Trophy and Bednarik Award, as well as First Team All-America honors. Devonte Wyatt earned Second Team All-America honors, and both Wyatt and sophomore Jalen Carter were named Second Team All-SEC.

Prior to moving to North Carolina, Scott served two years (2013-14) as defensive line coach at UT Martin. He also held positions as defensive line graduate assistant at Ole Miss (2012) and assistant coach at Arkansas State (2010- 11). Scott was also a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Arkansas Tech, from the fall of 2008 until the spring of 2010.

Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Arkansas Tech in 2008 and his master’s degree from there in 2010. He is married to the former Sarah Fancher and the couple has two sons, Julian and Torian.

Scott Thumbnail
Birthdate: November 13, 1984
Hometown: Crossett, Ark.
Family: Wife Sarah; sons Julian and Torian
High School: Crossett
College: Arkansas Tech, ’08 (B.A. in Sociology); '10 (M.A.)
Coaching Experience:
2008-10......................................... Arkansas Tech (Graduate Assistant - Defensive Line)
2010-11......................................... Arkansas State (Graduate Assistant - Defensive Line)
2012.............................................. Ole Miss (Graduate Assistant - Defensive Line)
2013-14..........................................Tennessee-Martin (Defensive Line)
2015-16......................................... North Carolina (Defensive Line)
2017-present................................. Georgia (Defensive Line)
Playing Experience:
2003-07......................................... Arkansas Tech
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.