Becoming an ingrained part of the James Madison defense has not taken cornerback Greg Ross long. 

Two games into his time with the Dukes, fellow cornerback Wesley McCormick said: “Greg is like family now.”

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Integrating transfers not just into the roster but into the culture of James Madison football was at the heart of the Dukes’ run to the 2019 season National Championship Game. So welcoming in Ross, a transfer from North Carolina, fits the program M.O. 

The talented defensive back has also found some immediate similarities between his current and previous homes, which have smoothed the transition. 

Among them, Ross said, is the Dukes’ use of press-man coverage. 

He also cites similarities between JMU coach Curt Cignetti and North Carolina’s future Hall of Famer, Mack Brown, who he called, “two great coaches who like to dominate.” 

“The biggest thing is with Mack Brown and the way his culture was and he brung to that program and the type of swagger that he brung to that program, [it’s] the same [at James Madison],” Ross said. “Coach Cig, the swagger he brings and the mentality he brings of going to dominate your opponent and not letting up off the gas.”

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This mentality attracted Ross to James Madison. When he entered the transfer portal, Ross sought an opportunity to both start, and to contribute for a winning team. 

With the Dukes ranked No. 1 in the FCS STATS Top 25, and quickly piecing together to fill voids left from the outstanding graduates who exited from the previous season’s national runner-up roster, there’s no doubt Ross found a winning team. 

And, he’s making good on that goal of contributing. Cignetti said leading up to the season opener against Morehead State that Ross was quickly asserting himself as a leading cornerback. 

“In the recruiting process, they told me if you come in and work and do what you gotta do, the sky’s the limit for you,” he said.

Yes, the plan is going as intended. But Ross’ seemingly smooth transition was not easy. 

Ross graduated from North Carolina and said the Tar Heels staff throughout his time in Chapel Hill was supportive and motivating. With eligibility remaining, he explored his graduate-transfer options for 2020 and settled on Iowa State. 

But one week before the Cyclones opened against Louisiana-Lafayette, Matt Campbell announced Ross “decided not to play football.” 

“Over the quarantine, [I] wasn’t able to get out there [to Ames],” Ross said. “Everything was virtual. It was tough on me. Ended up getting out there, some things happened back at home that kinda put me in the mindset that wasn’t good for me at that moment, so I couldn’t focus and locked in.”

The year with COVID-19 has been trying across the globe, for any number of reasons. Ross, like millions of others, was at home in 2020 working through challenging circumstances. 

As the fall progressed, the Temple Hills, Maryland, native found the opportunity he was seeking at James Madison and came out of difficulties focused. 

“Coming back home, being with family, I really embraced that time,” he said, adding an important lesson he took from that time: “Just be grateful for things, because football could be gone at any moment.”

Football eluded the FCS in the fall, but the spring season became a chance for Ross to jump back in. James Madison being a fit on multiple fronts made it an easy choice for the cornerback, who had a resource in former Tar Heels-turned-Dukes teammate Noah Turner. 

Ross also looked to a past Dukes’ career arc for some inspiration: Washington Football Team standout Jimmy Moreland. 

“A great ballplayer, a great guy with instincts,” Ross said. “Once I knew I was coming to JMU, I started to look at Jimmie Moreland more and more; the way he played here and the way he plays now.”

Taking inspiration from a Duke of the past is helping the Dukes secondary of the present, too, as McCormick illustrated. 

“One of the most important things [Ross] brought to the room was more competition,” McCormick said. “That makes everybody play at a higher level.”