Georgia football: What the addition of Scott Cochran means for the Bulldogs
Georgia football fans were surprised Monday afternoon to find out long-time Alabama strength coach Scott Cochran was leaving the Crimson Tide to join the Bulldog’s coaching staff.
Signing Day is behind us, but Kirby Smart hasn’t stopped adding to the 2020 Georgia football team.
Long-time Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran is joining the Georgia football coaching staff as a special teams coach. Cochran has filled the strength coach position at Alabama since 2007, joining Nick Saban’s staff the same time Smart did. Cochran was previously the assistant strength coach for the New Orléans Hornets of the NBA (2004-2007).
With Cochran on staff, Alabama became college football’s model program; always the most physical and most difficult team to wear down. In 13 years at Alabama, Cochran won the national strength coach of the year award twice. But according to Saban, Cochran was ready for a change and wants to eventually become a head coach. That starts with moving from strength and conditioning to an on-field position.
More from Dawn of the Dawg
- Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
- Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
- Nick Chubb is America’s running back, and he will return
- Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
- Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina
The announcement turned the heads of numerous people in sports media. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit questions whether this is the first step of the “changing of the guard” in the SEC. He believes this is a big loss for the Crimson Tide that may prove more difficult to replace than any coordinator who has ever left Saban’s staff.
What does this mean for Georgia football moving forward? For starters, the coaching staff is full. special teams coach was the last open position. Now, an entire facet of the game is under the control of one of college football’s most respected and valued assistant coaches.
Next, Cochran is all about energy. He is an intense, electric personality and that’s what Smart wants in his coaching staff. Smart knows, if the coaches are energetic, the players will be as well. That’s why Smart is willing to take a chance on a guy who’s never been an on-field coach at any level. He knows firsthand from his time at Alabama, players want to perform for Cochran. He gets everything out of his players.
Third, as special teams coach, Cochran’s influence reaches players on both sides of the ball as key bench players and even a few starters contribute on the six special teams units. It’s really the best position for a coach of Cochran’s resume to start.
Next. Top 15 running backs in Georgia football history. dark
Lastly, Georgia’s upcoming road trip to Alabama has another storyline going in. The Bulldogs play the Crimson Tide on September 21 in their first game in Tuscaloosa since 2007. How Cochran’s presence on the Georgia sideline instead of Alabama’s might make itself a factor throughout the game.