Georgia
Scott Cochran – Special Teams Coordinator – Football Support Staff – University of Georgia Athletics
Scott Cochran was named Special Teams Coordinator in February, 2020, after serving 13 years as head strength and conditioning coach at Alabama.
In his first year as an on-field coach, Cochran was part of a staff that led Georgia to its fourth consecutive top-10 finish in the final CFP rankings and fourth straight New Year’s Six Bowl game (Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory). The 2020 senior class won 44 games—tied for most in school history. In 2020, his specialists included punter Jake Camarda, first-team All-American and SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, and placekicker Jack Podlesny, who kicked the game-winning field goal with three seconds left to win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl game over Cincinnati. Georgia special teams finished the season ranked first in the SEC and 5th nationally in kickoff returns (29.7 ypr) and first in the SEC in kickoff coverage (41.8 net).
A two-time National Strength Coach of the Year, Cochran was on the staff of six national championship teams – five at Alabama (2009, ’11, ’12, ’15, ’17) and one at LSU (2003). Nationally regarded as one of the best in the area of strength and conditioning, Cochran received one of the highest honors in his field when he was named the 2011 Samson Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year, as featured in American Football Quarterly. He earlier was named the Samson Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year following the 2008 season.
UGA head coach Kirby Smart and Cochran both began their careers at Alabama in 2007 and spent nine years together before Smart left to take his current position in Athens. While at Alabama, Cochran implemented an offseason workout plan before spring practice each year, which included the well-known “Fourth Quarter Program” to help players develop physically and prepare for upcoming practices.
On the way to the 2009 national championship, Alabama won the fourth quarter by an astounding scoring margin of 121-32. The Tide continued the trend of finishing in 2011, as it again dominated the fourth quarter en route to the program’s second national championship in three years with a 111-18 fourth-quarter scoring margin. A third title in four years proved strong in the fourth quarter as well posting a 118-47 advantage. The 2015 team won the fourth quarter 138-80 while the 2017 title team boasted 97-47 advantage.
Cochran joined the Alabama staff in 2007 after spending three seasons with the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA as an assistant strength coach. While with the Hornets from 2004-06, Cochran’s duties included assisting 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.
Prior to joining the Hornets staff, Cochran worked for his alma mater at LSU as an assistant strength coach in 2003 (13-1, BCS national champions) and 2004 (9-3, Capital One Bowl). He was a graduate assistant in Baton Rouge, La., from 2001-03. Cochran returned to LSU after starting his career in the strength and conditioning field at University Laboratory High School in Baton Rouge. He held that position from 1998-2001 before returning to LSU as a graduate assistant for all sports from 2001-03. Cochran then was hired on to the full-time staff for the 2003-04 season.
A native of New Orleans, Cochran received a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from LSU in 2001 and added a master’s degree in Sports Management from LSU in 2003. Cochran was born on March 21, 1979, and is married to the former Cissy Schepens. They have three children, including one son Beau and two daughters, Savannah and Lucy.
Cochran Thumbnail
Birthdate: March 21, 1979
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
Family: Wife Cissy; son Beau; daughters Savannah, Lucy
High School: John Curtis Christian School
College: LSU ‘01 (Kinesiology); M.S. ‘03 (Sport Management)
Coaching Experience:
1998-2001……..University Laboratory School (Strength & Cond. Coach)
2001-03………………………………………………………LSU (Graduate Assistant)
2003-04…………………………………………………………LSU (Asst. S&C Coach)
2004-06……………………………….New Orleans Hornets (Asst. S&C Coach)
2007-19………………………………………………….Alabama (Head S&C Coach)
2020-Present……………………………………..Georgia (Special Teams Coord.)
Georgia
Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia
22 sea turtles released into the ocean at Jekyll Island
Mystic Aquarium, a Connecticut-based aquarium and animal rescue organization, released 22 sea turtles into the Ocean at Jekyll Island.
A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.
In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.
Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.
Here’s what to know.
What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?
Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.
“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”
While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.
One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.
Where are visitors staying?
The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:
- The Cloister at Sea Island
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.
Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.
What can you do in the Golden Isles?
Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:
- Biking under live oaks
- Kayaking through marsh creeks
- Horseback riding along the beach
- Watching sunsets over the water.
Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.
The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.
For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
Georgia
Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…
“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”
Key allocations in the amended budget include:
- Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
- Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
- Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
- Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
- Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.
Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”
Georgia
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.
According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’
WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:
The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.
DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)
However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.
RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout
GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.
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