CHAPEL HILL - Ed Montilus is taking advantage of his opportunity.

The 6-foot-3, 320-pound offensive guard redshirted last year as a true freshman without playing a single snap, thus he’s yet to play in a game at the collegiate level. Still, that hasn’t stopped him from impressing Mack Brown and the new North Carolina football coaching staff during spring practice.

Montilus has recently been working with the first-team offense, a clear indication he’s making the most of this spring.

“Ed’s really strong, he is playing really well for us,” Brown said after Tuesday’s practice. “I just asked him, I said, ‘How do you think you did today?’ and he said, ‘Not very good.’ But he really tries, he’s smart.

“When he knows what to do and he’s excited about it, he can do it really well. He’s one of the biggest surprises we’ve had for spring.”

The Apopka, FL, native signed with UNC in Feb. 2018 alongside his high school teammate and current Tar Heel William Barnes. Both were considered among the top offensive line prospects in the 2018 class and were big pickups for the previous coaching staff.

Now in his second season in Chapel Hill, Montilus appears to have fully adjusted to the college game and his positive play has seen him running with the starting offensive line group in recent weeks. And, while many things can change by the time the 2019 season kicks off in Charlotte on August 31, the redshirt freshman says he feels more comfortable in his role after a year on the sidelines.

“Last year, I just watched the older guys in front of me and (saw) how hard they worked,” Montilus said. “I kind of try and resemble them going into this spring because last year was really all about learning for me coming into college.”

Montilus’ emergence is even more impressive when you consider he’s had to prove himself to another new position coach in Stacy Searles after working under Chris Kapilovic last season. Despite that challenge, Montilus has thrived because of the similarities between the two vastly experienced offensive line coaches.

“(They’re) not much different,” he said. “Kap was really on us, he was really on the team. But, coach Searles, he’s setting a high standard for us and we have to meet that every day and, even if we do have a good day, he’s still going to be on us about the small things we mess up on.”

Still, his recent success hasn’t been seamless. New offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s ‘Air Raid’ style is known for its extremely fast pace, something Montilus has had to get used to just like every other player on the offensive side of the ball.

“The challenge for me has been being able to react fast, think fast and make good choices,” Montilus said. “The plays are going so fast, we’re getting the signals so fast (that) I have to be more assertive with the offensive stuff.”

While he and the offense as a whole are far from a finished product, they are making strides in the right direction. Brown has said many times he expects to win now not later and a lot of that will come down to how players like Montilus continue to improve upon their weaknesses.

“I feel like the offense is really getting better everyday,” Montilus said. “Guys are communicating, talking and I need to learn from the older guys and start communicating myself.”

Montilus is eager to learn and that characteristic has seen him earn reps with the starters this spring. If he can continue to improve and impress, he’ll likely go from not seeing the field in 2018 to being a pivotal part of UNC’s success as a new dawn in Chapel Hill looms on the horizon.