On Monday, reports began to swirl that Kirby Smart and Georgia were expected to hire Nick Saban’s longtime head strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran away from Alabama.
After a few hours of both Georgia and Alabama fanbases holding their breaths, the Georgia Twitter account officially confirmed all reports with a tweet, announcing the hiring of Cochran as UGA’s new special teams coordinator.
You’ve likely seen videos of the high energy Cochran leading an Alabama strength drill in the weight room or getting his players energized on the sideline both during and before games.
Cochran and Smart have remained close since their time coaching together in Tuscaloosa, and Smart tried to bring Cochran with him to Athens when he was hired as head coach.
Cochran also worked with the New Orleans Hornets from 2004-06, where he assisted with the exercise and strength conditioning programs to help players achieve and maintain optimal fitness throughout the NBA season. With the Hornets, he worked with NBA standouts Chris Paul, Baron Davis, David West and Tyson Chandler.
