The game of football is a grind, full of blood, sweat, and a lot of muscle. A game only lasts for three hours on Saturday’s, but the real work is done behind the scenes. Head coaches only get a to be with the players for a short amount of time during the spring and summer, so there’s only one coach who can be with them consistently during the “dead-period”: that’s the strength coach.
Strength coaches are more than just another assistant coach. They are the main source of motivation for these young men. Their goal is to make the players stronger, faster, and leaner. To do this, the strength coach has a schedule laid out(per NCAA rules) that combines aerobic and anaerobic exercises to make the players into warriors. Their job is to challenge each player to give it all they got in the weight room, so they can do the same on the football field. This includes pushing their bodies to the limit, lifting to failure, and running until they can’t even crawl.
Scott Cochran, the strength coach the Crimson Tide football team, is one of most recognized strength coaches in college football. Outside three years in the NBA, Cochran has been with coach Saban for almost seventeen seasons(LSU and Alabama). The type of football players Alabama get are some of the best players coming out of high school, so the body of work is usually already in good shape, they just need to get bigger, faster, and stronger. One way Cochran put’s it, ” you’re a Bentley right now, I’m just going to put spinners on that thing.” In other words, he is going to take them from -and pardon my cartoon reference- prince Adam to He-Man!
Cochran is probably the loudest coach on Saban’s staff. In the spring and summer, you can find Cochran yelling and screaming at several locations on campus: you can find him yelling in the gym, screaming on the practice field, and running the steps with the team at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Later, you can find his players looking down at what they had for breakfast after completing an intense workout. The 4th Quarter program coach Saban started, is implemented in the workouts for his team and you better believe Cochran is taking every step to make sure it’s followed through.
Twelve seasons and five national titles later, coach Scott Cochran is worth every bit of the $585,000 he is paid. He is the X-factor for coach Saban’s team. What Cochran does with the football team is that he teaches them to complete every workout til failure, which in turn not only grow more muscle but teaches the players to push through fatigue and surrender. This is why Alabama is so good. It’s not just coach Saban’s constant demand for perfection, it’s what takes place in the off-season. Every drop of sweat that takes place inside the gym, the practice field, and stadium steps, are building champions on and off the field. The glory and fame that come with the game cost an enormous price, which is why the strength coach is so highly desired.
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