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.)
Gulfstream recently announced a $5 million investment in Georgia education, welcoming students and leaders to its Savannah headquarters.
ATHENS, Ga. – Designated hitter Daniel Jackson and centerfielder Rylan Lujo combined for nine RBI Sunday, leading fifth-ranked Georgia to a 12-1 win over LSU at Foley Field.
Georgia improved to 41-11 overall, 21-6 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 29-24 overall and 9-18 in conference play.
The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday when they play host to Florida in Game 1 of a three-game SEC series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.
“Georgia won the moments in this series,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “They’re going to score, so you’ve got to capitalize against them when you have scoring opportunities on offense.”
Georgia starting pitcher Caden Aoki (8-0) was the winner, limiting LSU to one run on four hits in 5.0 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
LSU right-hander Casan Evans (2-3), making his first appearance since April 17 versus Texas A&M, started the game Sunday and was charged with the loss, working 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
“I thought Casan’s stuff looked great, and that’s good for him from a health standpoint,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that the more he pitches, the better he is, so there might have been a little bit of rust, but I thought he competed fine.”
Georgia struck for four runs in the bottom of the second inning in an outburst highlighted by Jackson’s two-out, two-run single and an RBI single by second baseman Ryan Black.
The Tigers narrowed the gap to 4-1 in the third when designated hitter Omar Serna Jr. delivered an RBI single.
Georgia extended its lead to 7-1 in the fourth as Jackson launched a two-run homer and centerfielder Lujo lined a run-scoring single.
Lujo unloaded a grand slam in the fifth, giving the Bulldogs an 11-1 advantage.
The Georgia baseball team had long since poured out of the Foley Field home dugout and the water bottles that were thrown on the field in jubilation had been cleaned up.
The Bulldogs celebration that carried into center field after a 13-8 victory on Saturday night over LSU on May 9 had ended and players had doused coach Wes Johnson with blue sports drink.
Now, some 20 minutes later, it was postgame photo time for the freshly minted 2026 SEC regular season champions.
They gathered in front of the spot on the right field wall where the previous seven seasons of Georgia SEC championships were listed, the last in 2008. Above them on the video board was a graphic that recognized this year’s team as SEC champions.
“Watching the program grow in such a shot amount of time, it’s awesome,” said pitcher Paul Farley, who has been with the Bulldogs for all three seasons with Johnson and got the win in relief Saturday. “We’ve got four SEC games left and to be able to hang that up there the SEC champs already it’s amazing.”
Farley was speaking figuratively because the 2026 numbers weren’t on the outfield fence just yet.
Fifth-ranked Georgia (40-11, 20-6 SEC) still has a chance to put a College World Series trip up there in left field for the first time since 2008 and in a best case scenario add another national championship year in right field with the 1990 season.
“SEC champs is great, but obviously we want to do bigger and better things,” Farley said.
LSU, the team that won it all last season, was still around having a postgame talk on the artificial turf field long after the game ended.
Johnson was with LSU in 2023 as pitching coach when it won another College World Series.
“It’s massive,” Johnson said of this latest championship. “Anytime you can win this league, man, it’s so hard. Then win it outright. It’s something you want to check off on your list of things you’ve ever accomplished. It’s 10 weekends of just meat house grinding.”
Johnson said he didn’t know that the dominoes had fallen Saturday to set up Georgia being able to clinch except that he saw that Texas lost at Tennessee as the result flashed on the scoreboard.
Texas A&M also lost twice at Ole Miss to set up the clinch for Georgia.
“I’m calling pitches, I’m locked in,” Johnson said.
He said assistant coach Will Coggin told him when the game ended that ‘We’re champs.’”
Many of the players knew.
“We had a few inside operatives, I’d say, tell us,” Farley said.
Shortstop Kolby Branch said he didn’t know “until the water bottles started flying.”
Branch said another Georgia team loaded with transfers grew closer in the fall and built relationships that have turned into wins this season.
Johnson said winning the regular season title in his third season as coach in the age of the transfer portal and NIL “means a lot.”
Johnson mentioned Farley, Branch and Tre Phelps being at Georgia for all three of his seasons.
“Seeing where we were in the first fall, we forget this used to be dirt and grass,” Johnson said standing on on turf field. “And we didn’t have the cool building and we only had one batting cage, all the stuff we’ve been able to do since we’ve been here. The other side is just understanding true belief and understanding what guys can do.”
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