The Dashboard: Cochran hire a bold move by Smart

Unexpected? Yes. Bold? No doubt about it.

However you want to describe it, Monday’s news that Kirby Smart is hiring Scott Cochran, the longtime Alabama strength and conditioning coach and close confidant of Nick Saban, qualifies as shocking. Stunning, even.

Nobody saw this one coming from 10 miles away. If you say so, you’re lying or your last name is Smart.

So—good move or not?

Obviously, Smart thinks it is. Smart has wanted Cochran on his staff since the first day he arrived in Athens, back in 2015. The two are best friends. Monday, he got his man.

No, Cochran doesn’t have official on-field experience as an assistant coach, but if you know anything about the 40-year-old Cochran, you're aware he’s a master motivator. He knows how to get the most out of his players. He was very familiar with the special teams at Alabama per our sources.

Smart wants special teams that play with ruthless aggression, passion—whatever adjective you want to throw in there. Scott Cochran knows how to teach that.

Some may wonder if Smart hiring Cochran will cause any rift with current strength and conditioning coach Scott Sinclair. It won’t. Cochran and Sinclair are also longtime friends, so there won’t be any need to worry about too many cooks in the kitchen.

It’s going to be interesting to see how this works out.

From the standpoint of taking a key part of Saban’s staff away, yes, that’s a big deal. But as long as The Man is on the Alabama sideline, it wouldn’t behoove Georgia fans to get too giddy over Monday’s news. Saban is still at Alabama, and as long as that's true, don't count on the Crimson Tide suddenly falling out of the top echelon of college football.

Either way, getting Cochran to Athens is a major coup for Smart. Is he taking somewhat of a chance? Maybe, but this is one of those hires for which you feel so sure about an individual that, whatever “chances” you might be taking, they're trumped by what you know about a person and the energy he’s going to bring.

You can bet one thing; Smart did a great job of keeping tongues throughout the SEC wagging about the Bulldogs, in what typically is one of the slowest times of the year for football fans—those weeks before spring practice kicks off in just under a month.

This qualifies as one of Smart’s boldest moves since taking the job in Athens, especially when you consider Cochran will actually be on the field coaching, and not serving as the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator.

It took sand to make this hire. Knowing Smart, however, he wouldn’t have made it if he had any doubts.

We’ll see how it pays off.