Passion personified

Passion, fervor, enthusiasm, and zeal.

Apt descriptors for new Georgia special teams coach Scott Cochran.

“He brings that passion. Every. Single. Day,” former Alabama safety Will Lowery told UGASports. “That's like the most endearing thing or most defining thing about him that you can say. In a sport that can become very monotonous in the training and the day after day-after-day of weightlifting, practice, and all the work that goes into it, he is the constant. He is the constant of bringing the passion, bringing the excitement, bringing the hype every single time you’re there. It never fails.”

To those who know Cochran best, this doesn’t exactly qualify as breaking news.

For the past 13 years, Cochran served as the strength and conditioning coach at Alabama. He twice earned National Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year honors before, to the shock of many, stepped into a new role as the Special Teams Coordinator for Kirby Smart at Georgia.

However, Cochran didn’t build his reputation solely for what he did in the weight room for the Crimson Tide. That’s only part of his story.

To hear pupils like Lowery, along with former Crimson Tide players Preston Dial and Mike Johnson explain it, Cochran meant much more to the Alabama football program than that. Considered a master motivator, the leader of Alabama’s famed “Four Quarter Program,” Cochran not only built sound bodies for the Crimson Tide, but he helped build sound minds.

“He helped forge me into a leader,” Johnson said. “Everybody knows he’s a vocal guy, but I think his being vocal kind of allows other guys to step their voice up and voice their opinions. He rubs off on you in that way, so it wasn’t just a weight-room thing. Obviously, he did a great job of getting me physically stronger and doing that kind of stuff. But for me, it was learning how to be a leader.”

A former team captain at Alabama, Johnson earned All-American status as an offensive lineman in 2009 while helping the Crimson Tide to their first national championship in 17 years before a brief career with the Atlanta Falcons.

“I can’t tell you how many times he’d speak to us and really get our mentality right for our summer and off-season conditioning,” Johnson said. “Communication and understanding are a big part, but so are motivation and vocalization. The things he was trying to get across were very impactful for a lot of those championship runs.”

Dial was a high-motor tight end, who, like Johnson, was already on the scene when Cochran joined Saban during his first year at Alabama in 2007.

“He’s just got that X-factor when it comes to bringing that intensity every day,” Dial said. “He's just the definition of what Coach Saban talks about when he says do your job every day, be consistent, and have attention to detail. That’s Scott Cochran. I’m happy for him; I’m happy for his journey.”

A chance to push his career in a different direction is what ultimately allowed Smart to convince Cochran to come to Athens after an initial attempt to hire Cochran in 2015 fell short.

Although he’d heard that Cochran might be looking for a change, Johnson said he was surprised when he first heard the news.

“The first words out of my mouth were, 'That’s interesting, that’s very, very interesting,'” Johnson said. “A lot of these things run in cycles, and he felt like his time was up in Tuscaloosa. My initial reaction was, it’s a bigger loss for Alabama than it is a gain for Georgia at this point; While I’m a huge believer in who he is as a person, I’m a bigger believer in who he is as a strength coach and what he had done at Alabama.

“Listen, he needed to move somewhere. Obviously, he still felt close enough to Kirby to make that move, so more power to him. I’m excited for him.”

So is Lowery.

Like Johnson, Lowery had heard rumbling that Cochran was wanting to branch out, to expand his coaching horizons, as it were.

“I don’t think he would have gone just anywhere to try it; it was just the right fit, so it was kind of killing two birds with one stone for him,” Lowery said. “It’s a great situation for him, but also using that opportunity to chase that dream of his, and keep furthering himself. I think he probably hit a ceiling at Alabama, and I don’t blame him. It certainly looked like he had been on the outside looking in. Again, I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Naturally, not all Alabama fans weren’t quite so understanding.

To some, this was treason. Dial understands why some might feel this way.

“I think that was the one thing about Coach Cochran that was kind of shocking for a lot of Alabama folks, to see him make that jump out of that position that we all know him at,” Dial said. “It’s just one of those weird things, like, say you’re starting at middle linebacker one day, then the next, you’re coming over to play running back–you just don’t see it. You don’t see that jump very often.

“That’s why it was interesting for us to see. But you know, and I know, the intensity he brings to the field and into the workplace every day is not going to change, because he’s in charge of a position versus running a weight room.”

Smart wouldn’t have that any other way. The loyalty Cochran inspires in his players is a large part of why Smart hired him.

“When I think of good coaches, I think of guys that can relate to players. I’ve always judged a coach by two qualities: One, what is his ability to make players want to play for him? His relationship: do players want to run through the brick wall for their coach? Do they respect their coach; do they want to play for their coach; can he relate to them in a personal way and get them to do something that maybe another coach can’t?" Smart said. “Second is their ability to recruit. Both of those two things in my nine years at Alabama, he was outstanding at.”

Lowery said Bulldog players have much to look forward to.

“Of course, he won’t be doing it in that same role, but it’s going to permeate regardless. He can’t help it. That’s just who he is and how he is. His energy is infectious, man, he’s going to be a great addition. I’m sure he’s going to have some additional spunk in his step again, from the new opportunity and everything that’s come with it,” Lowery said. “The way I see it, Georgia’s getting a guy who is really hungry to learn and prove himself. I’m sure he’s got a chip on his shoulder, too, with people doubting he can do this. No doubt Georgia will be getting the best version of Scott Cochran right out of the gate.”

Although some were surprised that Smart would take a chance on someone who has never served as an on-field assistant for a job as important as special teams coordinator, Lowery sees Cochran as a natural fit.

At Alabama, Cochran was in charge of running the special team scout squad for the Crimson Tide.

“I certainly think that’s a good position to start, but he’s been helping at Alabama on special teams for a long time. Sure, it’s been scout team, so it’s not like he’s this experienced special teams coach, but he does have a frame of reference for how this stuff works and everything else,” Lowery said. “When you marry that position with somebody who’s got the passion and gives it their full attention and commitment desire and puts their heart into it, he’s got every ability to do a great job with it.”

As far as recruiting, Lowery believes Georgia may have hit the jackpot.

“I think he’s going to be a phenomenal recruiter for that exact reason. It’s obvious he connects with players and young people in a very unique way,” Lower said. “Coach Cochran, some of the younger coaches, Kirby as well, those guys can relate a lot better. And Coach Cochran is a super-likable guy. He’s young enough where he can relate and know what’s in, talk to young guys and what’s in pop culture. He just has the vibe of being able to connect with them.”

Dial has no doubt Cochran’s impact will be a resounding one. The biggest? It’s not hard to guess.

“I would say just the intensity, the intensity that is brought on a daily basis. If Scott Cochran has anything to say about it, if he has any input on that, it will be about giving 110 percent,” Dial said. “Coach Cochran was very good about helping us find out how much we had in the tank, and it was always a little more than you thought.”