CHAPEL HILL – One of the clear messages sent by Mack Brown this past spring was a constant reminder of how much the new North Carolina staff values taking advantage of what certain players do best and putting them in positions to help the Tar Heels succeed. Brown mentioned just about every time he fielded questions from the media.

So, when it surfaced this spring that Dominique Ross was lining up at times as a rush end in addition to his role as one of Carolina’s outside linebackers, it made sense.

Ross is one of the team’s most athletic players who is also more experienced than most of his teammates on that side of the ball. Add that to defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s fly-to-the-ball mantra, and moving Ross all over the field, including having him line up at end in some four-man fronts, was a natural move.

And it’s one that has Ross excited while tapping into what he used to do a lot of on Friday nights.

“It’s coming to me because I did it in high school so it’s like reminiscing about the old days,” Ross said. “I’ve still got the pass rush skills in me, I’m just getting more reps in and the more reps I get the better I’ll be at it.”

UNC’s defense is best described as controlled chaos. That’s what the player say. While it may look to fans and opponents as some form of football anarchy, the players executing it are entirely under control even if they offer a different look every snap in a series even if employing the same basic tactic.

Some of this is to simply throw off opponents, but it’s also out of necessity, which is why Ross is going to pin his ears back every once in a while and go after quarterbacks.

“With what we’re doing, the outside linebacker becomes a rush end in a four-man front,” Brown explained. “So, it’s a huge crossover so you wouldn’t even have to teach (Ross) a lot more. But it’s something that whether you’re bringing him from inside, whether you’re bringing him from outside, off the line or whether you’re bringing him from the line of scrimmage, Dominique and Tomon Fox are our two best pass rushers.”

It’s fun, too. Ross smiled when offering his explanation.

“It’s kind of like bouncing around wherever Coach Bateman wants me with my athleticism, so that’s what I’m trying to do…,” said Ross, who was fifth on the team with 47 tackles last season, including two sacks.

“It’s very exciting. I love seeing the destruction, feeling like it’s a puzzle we’re all putting together – each person has their own piece in outing this grand puzzle together.”

Ross’ career has taken a bit of a scattered path to this point. He’s always been supremely talented but it didn’t click his first couple of years. He didn’t get many in-game opportunities at linebacker until UNC’s final contest of the 2017 season, a loss at N.C. State. Injuries forced Ross into a starting role, and by the middle of the third quarter an injury forced him out of the game.

Undeterred, Ross started last season’s opener at California and played one of his best games. He broke up three passes and played sideline-to-sideline better than any time previously in his Carolina career. But he got a little banged up, hit a snag on the field and his game regressed only to surface again.

Now with a new lease on life under Brown and UNC’s new staff, Ross is making the most of it.

Not only does he have one of the linebacker jobs locked up, but he’s developing into a leader, a role he learned from Cole Holcomb, last year’s leading tackler and vocal inspirer.

“Cole was a great leader last year and playing alongside him was good to take tips from him on how he led the team,” Ross said.

Part of leadership when learning a vastly different defensive scheme and mindset is being one of the first guys to get it. Setting that standard this spring has been as important as anything else for Ross.

“Being an older guy, you have to understand there are younger guys who don’t understand defenses as much as I do because I have the experience,” he explained. “So, me knowing what to do and know more than just my position helps me help the defense come together.”

From a guy who struggled just getting it a few years ago to one who’s not only passing it on to younger players, Ross is making the most of the new staff’s objective.