Report: Alabama strength coach Scott Cochran to join UGA in an unexpected on-field role
Scott Cochran was a name to know when Kirby Smart first started assembling his Georgia staff back in December of 2016.
Smart and Cochran are long-time friends, but he wasn’t able to bring him to Athens for his first staff at that time.
Cochran once again finds himself linked to an open position on the Georgia staff.
The longtime Alabama strength and conditioning coach – a true pillar of Nick Saban’s program in Tuscaloosa – could very well be on his way to Georgia in February of 2020.
That’s according to Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News. Hurt tweeted out on Monday afternoon that Cochran is expected to join Smart’s staff in Athens.
That news comes with an unexpected twist.
Scott Cochran, the longtime strength and conditioning coach for @AlabamaFTBL is expected — barring a last-minute change — to leave UA for an on-field coaching position at Georgia per sources. More to come at @tidesports
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) February 24, 2020
It is a very unique wrinkle by the Bulldogs here to lure away one of the most recognizable faces of the Alabama program not for a lateral move but for an on-field coaching role in Athens.
Bruce Feldman is also reporting the pending move.
BREAKING: Longtime #Alabama strength coach Scott Cochran is expected to join the #UGA coaching staff, as an on the field coach. Huge move by Kirby
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 24, 2020
Cochran just completed his 12th season with Saban as the head strength and conditioning coach in Tuscaloosa. He is as popular and well-known as any strength coach in college football.
His booming voice and colorful personality are interwoven with Saban’s dynasty in Tuscaloosa. That’s why Smart tried to hire him back in 2016.
The move makes sense on another front. Cochran, by virtue of his 10-plus seasons in the state retirement system of Alabama, would also already be vested in the state’s pension fund.
The biggest twist of this would be the on-field coaching position.
Here’s an excerpt from his coaching bio from rolltide.com which details his career history beyond being a strength and conditioning coach for Alabama from 2007-2020 and in the NBA with the former Charlotte Hornets franchise from 2004-2006.
Prior to joining the Hornets staff, Cochran worked for his alma mater Louisiana State as an assistant strength coach in 2003 (13-1, BCS national champions) and 2004 (9-3, Capital One Bowl). He was a graduate assistant in Baton Rouge from 2001-03. Cochran returned to LSU after starting his career in the strength and conditioning field at University Laboratory High School in Baton Rouge, La. He held that position from 1998-2001 before returning to LSU as a graduate assistant for all sports from 2001-03. Cochran then was hired on to the full-time staff for the 2003-04 season.
A native of New Orleans, Cochran received a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from LSU in 2001 and added a master’s degree in sports management from LSU in 2003. Cochran was born on March 21, 1979, and is married to the former Cissy Schepens. They have three children, including one son Beau and two daughters, Savannah and Lucy.
Cochran was very well-known for a viral video that was captured during the 2008 season about the Crimson Tide and their upcoming game against a highly-ranked Georgia team.
The Bulldogs chose to wear black jerseys for that game and found themselves down 31-0 at the half of an eventual 41-30 home loss in Athens.
If Cochran does join the UGA staff, it will certainly add another layer of intrigue to the SEC opener for both schools in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 19.
Scott Cochran might be the biggest hit to a Nick Saban Alabama staff we have seen. Massive loss. Goes much further than Strength & Conditioning.
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) February 24, 2020
Check back with DawgNation.com for more on this developing story
