Tidestalker
Member
🏈 Ballou and Rhea take over UA S&C program
- Thread starter TerryP
- Start date
Garrett Gilbert, I knew that was you.
Idle thought...
Who has a "name" in S&C these days?
Without a google search ... who all knows who the highest paid S&C coach is around collegiate sports? I"m not saying "that's the best," just curious how many follow that salary range.
Might be a tough pull seeing he’s only been there 1 year and it’s his home.
Very interesting, thanks. Hope he comes on down.
B
Bama News
Alabama Closing in on New Strength and Conditioning Coach
Nick Saban didn't even need a week to find Scott Cochran's replacement
The search for Scott Cochran's replacement may already to be over.
HoosiersNow.com, the SportsIllustrated site covering Indiana athletics, reported on Saturday afternoon that Alabama has offered David Ballou the job as the football program's new strength and conditioning coach.
Dr. Matt Rhea, Indiana’s Athletic Performance Coach, was expected to go to Alabama with Ballou, sources told the website.
When contacted, Alabama officials did not confirm that Ballou's addition was imminent. However, BamaCentral verified that he had been targeted for the position.
Ballou, a former fullback at Indiana, is in his third season as the Hoosier's football’s director of athletic performance.
He previously spent 2017 as Notre Dame’s co-director of football strength and conditioning after a 14-year stint as the head strength and conditioning coach at Avon High School (Ind.). Ballou also worked at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Several Indiana coaches have said that Ballou and Rhea “basically add a star to all those recruiting ratings.” Ballou told HoosiersNow last October that he uses a lot of technology and analytics in his weight room, but that “anyone can collect data. It’s what you do with it that’s so important.’’
He said: “You are never ever ever going to prevent injuries in this sport, but there are things you can do to see certain red flags upfront and do something to fix it before anything happens,’’ said Ballou, who said dozens of guys are posting their best power numbers this late in the season.
“Look, we’re a developmental program here and we felt like we could still make up a lot of ground during the season and be able to be strong when the middle and end of the season gets here. It allows us to finish a season the way we want to."
Cochran notified Alabama on Monday that he was leaving to be the special teams coordinator at Georgia. He had been with Nick Saban for all six of national titles, as he served as an assistant at LSU in 2003.
“We appreciate Scott’s contribution to our organization over the last 13 years," Saban said in a statement. "We can’t thank him enough for his service and dedication to our program, and his commitment to our players. He is taking his career in a new direction, and we wish Scott, Cissy and the kids the best.
"As we do with every position that opens here, we will go out and hire the best person to lead our strength and conditioning program and help our players maximize the resources available in our new sports science facility.”
Cochran's initial salary at Alabama was $120,000, but he received frequent raises. Last season he was one of nation's highest-paid strength and conditioning coaches at $595,000.
Here's one to read, folks.
www.stack.com
How a Unique Speed Training Program Flipped the Fortunes of Indiana Football
Individualized training has led to prodigious improvements in speed, helping the long-hapless Hoosiers earn their first top 25 ranking since 1994.
www.stack.com
I expect both Rhea and Ballou to be officially named in the next few days. I'll be surprised if they're aren't. I haven't heard anything that's gone as far as one saying "it's a done deal."
I'm told there's an IU site that is reporting the job has been offered and accepted.
Just surfing around a bit to see what's going on I found a Rivals site for IU. An interesting image (below) said to have been grabbed from one of the Bama sites. There are two threads there talking about Ballou if you're interested.
It's also been pointed out that a few NFL teams have interest in these guys.
Falls together nicely in my view. Dr. Rhea is looking at a position of being the first "guy" for the new science center that's been pointed to the last few days. Ballou is looking at facilities and sees the expansion and construction coming to a completion and he's in an ideal world.
One thing I found amusing. Under/beside the picture ... look at that tweet. Earlier I'd mentioned being told last Monday or Tuesday that Saban had his guy. A plan in place, paraphrasing. I stumbled across this last night.
I'm told there's an IU site that is reporting the job has been offered and accepted.
Just surfing around a bit to see what's going on I found a Rivals site for IU. An interesting image (below) said to have been grabbed from one of the Bama sites. There are two threads there talking about Ballou if you're interested.
It's also been pointed out that a few NFL teams have interest in these guys.
Falls together nicely in my view. Dr. Rhea is looking at a position of being the first "guy" for the new science center that's been pointed to the last few days. Ballou is looking at facilities and sees the expansion and construction coming to a completion and he's in an ideal world.
One thing I found amusing. Under/beside the picture ... look at that tweet. Earlier I'd mentioned being told last Monday or Tuesday that Saban had his guy. A plan in place, paraphrasing. I stumbled across this last night.
planomateo
Member
Interesting, all rivals sites I'd imagine.
BamaFan334
Member
The guy we just lossmay have something to say about that. Everyone in the country knew him. And there are others like Feld at Oregon.
planomateo
Member
B
Bama News
Alabama set to hire Indiana's David Ballou as new strength coach
Alabama appears to have found its next strength and conditioning coach.
Alabama appears to have found its next strength and conditioning coach. According to multiple reports, the Crimson Tide will hire Indiana’s David Ballou to the position. Alabama is also expected to bring on Dr. Matt Rhea, Indiana's athletic performance coach. Ballou will replace Scott Cochran who left to coach special teams at Georgia last week.
Ballou finished his second season as Indiana football’s director of athletic performance. The former Hoosiers fullback helped 11 Indiana players earn All-Big Ten honors last year as the team finished 8-5 with a trip to the Gator Bowl. Indiana’s eight wins were its most since 1993.
Ballou has trained 31 NFL Draft picks in his career. He helped four Indiana players make it to the next level, including offensive lineman Wes Martin, who was selected in the fourth round by the Washington Redskins last year.
Before joining Indiana, Ballou spent the 2017 season as the co-director of football strength and conditioning at Notre Dame where he helped the Fighting Irish to a 10-3 record with a victory over LSU in the Citrus Bowl. That year, Notre Dame earned the Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s top offensive line.
Along with his experience at the college level, Ballou also worked in the high school ranks. He served as the head football strength and conditioning coach at IMG Academy (2015-16) and also spent 14 years as the head strength and conditioning coach at Avon High School (Ind.). During his time at Avon, he was a finalist for the 2014 NSCA National High School Strength Coach of the Year Award.
-
Thread '📈 Bracketology 2026 - A quick from the distance: 2/8 update'
Alabama currently projected as a 4 seed.- TerryP
- Replies: 23
-
2026 Alabama Roster Management Chart and Portal news
The latest on who's in and who's out.- Brandon Van de Graaff
- Replies: 1,650
-
-
-
Thread 'Anybody watched any good new shows or series lately?'
The off-season "blues." What to watch?- Brandon Van de Graaff
- Replies: 148
-
Thread '🏀 2025-26 Bama Basketball Updates: Roberts recuses himself: Judge Daniel Pruet has a decision on his hands'
Bama held their 1st practice 9/22- Brandon Van de Graaff
- Replies: 725
