Georgia hires premier strength coach Scott Cochran from Alabama for on-field role
Three weeks ago, Kirby Smart said Georgia’s offseason wasn’t quite over. He jumped at the chance to tie it together with a shiny bow.
Alabama’s longtime strength-and-conditioning coach, Scott Cochran, is the new special teams coach at Georgia, the school confirmed Monday evening.
“Ask anyone who’s been around him, Scott’s passion and energy is contagious,” Smart said through as statement. “Special teams coordinator is a great fit as he’ll be working with all position groups. His knowledge and experience elevates our entire program, and we’re excited to welcome the Cochran family to Athens.”
Cochran’s addition fills the final vacancy among the 10 on-field coaching positions at Georgia.
The Bulldogs had a spot for Cochran after the departure of former offensive coordinator James Coley, who left to be Texas A&M’s tight ends’ coach after being demoted to an “assistant head coach” label. Todd Monken replaced Coley as offensive coordinator Jan. 17. Scott Fountain, Georgia’s former special teams’ coach, also left a spot open after taking a position at Arkansas.
Cochran has been at Alabama for 12 years as the program’s strength-and-conditioning coach under head coach Nick Saban. He’s highly-regarded for his position and holds a contract worth $585,000 per year. That’s the fifth-highest salary for college strength coaches, according to a database built by USA Today.
“We appreciate Scott’s contribution to our organization over the last 13 years,” Saban said through a statement. “We can’t thank him enough for his service and dedication to our program, and his commitment to our players. He is taking his career in a new direction, and we wish Scott, Cissy and the kids the best.”
Georgia has eyed Cochran for quite some time after Smart built a strong rapport with him while at Alabama. Smart tried to lure Cochran to his program after taking the head-coaching position with the Bulldogs in 2015. Cochran opted to stay, with a raise, and Georgia went on to hire Scott Sinclair for the strength coach role.
Five years later, Georgia gets its guy in a late addition to the offseason. Cochran will shift to a new role in his coaching career, but not with Alabama. He now joins Smart’s staff in Athens.
“Scott’s one of the most energetic coaches I have worked with,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was quote through the statement Georgia released on the hire. “He developed great relationships with our players while I was at Alabama. I know that he will be successful as he moves on the field with Kirby at Georgia and I believe will be a head coach one day.”
Georgia football on-field assistant coaches
Todd Monken — Offensive Coordinator
Dan Lanning — Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers
Glenn Schumann — Co-Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
Dell McGee — Running Backs
Cortez Hankton — Wide Receivers/Pass Game Coordinator
Todd Hartley — Tight Ends
Matt Luke — Offensive Line/Associate Head Coach
Tray Scott — Defensive Line
Charlton Warren — Defensive Backs
Scott Cochran — Special teams
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 3:15 PM.