🏈 Ballou and Rhea take over UA S&C program

[OriginalBamachris]

Welcome Ballou! Looking forward to hearing “The Bear Necessities” echo from the weight room!

 

[TerryP]

$200k difference in his pay and the top pay. Now the top pay seems a little out of alignment but even the 2nd highest would have been $140k.

21+ years at Iowa. I believe he works with their wrestling as well... Have to check that.

Still, 21 years and market value.

 

[94 Grad]

Saw an article yesterday on SDS that said Cochran was going to be paid 550k to be the ST coach at UGA. That is a 45k pay cut from his salary at Bama.

Doesn't that make him equal to the HIGHEST paid ST coach out there? Seems a bit over pay for sure....

The highest-paid special teams coaches in college football

In football, special teams are kind of like insurance policies. When times are good, the car is running fine, you start to wonder why you pay so much for this

footballscoop.com

 

[94 Grad]

I find it interesting reading a lot of bulldog articles on the Cochran hire and them saying that this gives them a needed boost to their 4th quarter program and will make them more physical. Do they realize that an on field coach has limited time allowed by the NCAA to be around the players? He is no longer a strength and conditioning coach. We won't be doing those duties nor will he have as much access as he had when he was a strength and conditioning coach. It's like they think he'll be doing both roles at UGA....

I kinda feel bad for them. They've taken a coach that has ZERO experience coaching Special teams and made him the highest paid ST coach in the nation. Now the rest of their staff is going to have to pickup the slack for all the knowledge he doesn't have and help out in that phase of the game. I expect that to be a weak area for UGA moving forward. No disrespect to Cochran, but Alabama and UGA are not On Job Training type of roles, IMO.

 

[mando]

He is no longer a strength and conditioning coach.

This is true but do you not still think Cochran will give them a boost in the locker room? I think his influence is worth something. As much as they are paying is debatable for that but he is not your normal greenhorn. He will provide motivation.

Now I have no idea if there are ways around the off season access by on the field coaches but if there is UGA will find a way as would Saban if it would help them.

So my real point is Cochran's presence will help UGA's program.

 

[Rolltide24]

With the $450k salary, where does he rank in comparison to the highest paid ST coaches in the land?

 

[TideatMileHigh]

I find it interesting reading a lot of bulldog articles on the Cochran hire and them saying that this gives them a needed boost to their 4th quarter program and will make them more physical. Do they realize that an on field coach has limited time allowed by the NCAA to be around the players? He is no longer a strength and conditioning coach. We won't be doing those duties nor will he have as much access as he had when he was a strength and conditioning coach. It's like they think he'll be doing both roles at UGA....

I kinda feel bad for them. They've taken a coach that has ZERO experience coaching Special teams and made him the highest paid ST coach in the nation. Now the rest of their staff is going to have to pickup the slack for all the knowledge he doesn't have and help out in that phase of the game. I expect that to be a weak area for UGA moving forward. No disrespect to Cochran, but Alabama and UGA are not On Job Training type of roles, IMO.

Someone pass that along to Coach Anton Chighur's Haircut at UGA.

 

[94 Grad]

This is true but do you not still think Cochran will give them a boost in the locker room? I think his influence is worth something. As much as they are paying is debatable for that but he is not your normal greenhorn. He will provide motivation.

So my real point is Cochran's presence will help UGA's program.

I love Cochran's Rah Rah spirit... but that only goes so far and isn't really worth $ 550,000 per year.

How do you think he'll help out in the Locker room? He's only allowed limited contact with players during the season as an on field coach and don't you think UGA already has some Rah Rah people? Hell, they have a Strength and Conditioning coach already. I'm sure he'll listen somewhat to what Cochran has to say, but do you think he's going to let Cochran run that side of things too?

I love Scott and if UGA had hired him as the Strength coach, I would say they got a hell of a hire... but they didn't hire him in that role and instead have him as the ST coach. Any benifit he may have in the "energy" rah rah of the program is well offset by his lack of knowledge of coaching special teams. He may be able to learn and do a good job over time, but it's going to be a learning curve for sure and I don't expect that phase of the game to be what it has been in the past for a bit.

With the $450k salary, where does he rank in comparison to the highest paid ST coaches in the land?

He makes $ 550k not $ 450k.
Top Special Teams coaches in the nation:

1. Bob Gregory, Washington — $550,000
2. Larry Porter, Auburn — $525,000
3. Chris Partridge, Michigan — $500,000
4. Danny Pearman, Clemson — $480,000
5. Jovan Dewitt, Nebraska — $475,000
5. Coleman Hutzler, South Carolina — $475,000
7. James Shibest, Virginia Tech — $445,000
8. Mark Staten, Michigan State — $438,000
9. Jay Boulware, Oklahoma — $435,000
10. Jeff Banks, Alabama — $434,000

 

[OldPlayer]

A little more insight on Ballou and his approach. He's going to be a kid in the candy shop at Alabama.

 

[94 Grad]

A little more insight on Ballou and his approach. He's going to be a kid in the candy shop at Alabama.

I so much love this way of strength focus. I think i could have a huge impact on the program moving forward.

 

[TerryP]

Hell, they have a Strength and Conditioning coach already. I'm sure he'll listen somewhat to what Cochran has to say, but do you think he's going to let Cochran run that side of things too?

Jamil Walker left UGA along with Sam Pittman ... both at Arkansas.

 

[rammerjammer]

Jamil Walker left UGA along with Sam Pittman ... both at Arkansas.

Is there a possibility that Cochran do S/C and still be the ST coach? You stated that UGA takes the "team" approach to ST coaching, similar to Alabama. Is it possible that Kirby gave Cock-ran the title of an on-field coach but also has him as the conditioner that gets to spend all the off-season time with the players. Is this even possible by NCAA rules. I'm just spit-balling and wondering.

 

[94 Grad]

Jamil Walker left UGA along with Sam Pittman ... both at Arkansas.

Wasn't Walker an assistant Strength coach at UGA? Isn't Sinclair the man man?

Is there a possibility that Cochran do S/C and still be the ST coach? You stated that UGA takes the "team" approach to ST coaching, similar to Alabama. Is it possible that Kirby gave Cock-ran the title of an on-field coach but also has him as the conditioner that gets to spend all the off-season time with the players. Is this even possible by NCAA rules. I'm just spit-balling and wondering.

Cochran's interaction with the players will be limited due to being an on-field coach, so he won't be able to spend all the off-season time with players... and they already have a strength and conditioning Director in Sinclair withe several assistant SC coaches. Maybe they'll take Cochran and let him oversee the SC too, without the interaction with the players; however, that would just take time away from him being able to learn the Special Teams skills he's going to need to coach that phase of the game.

Bottom line, I just don't see it as a great hire for UGA... but time will tell.

 

[SnakeFan]

We have two threads running talking about almost the same topic. I cant wait for Spring practice news to start rolling in.

 

[TerryP]

Is there a possibility that Cochran do S/C and still be the ST coach? You stated that UGA takes the "team" approach to ST coaching, similar to Alabama. Is it possible that Kirby gave Cock-ran the title of an on-field coach but also has him as the conditioner that gets to spend all the off-season time with the players. Is this even possible by NCAA rules. I'm just spit-balling and wondering.

Theoretically, yes. As I recall Richt didn't have one for awhile. "Named." "Specialized." ... that type of coach.

When this first borke I mentioned something along this lines of "this is a great story." So many moving parts to the whole thing make it one of those off season jewels. I've seen there have been re-writes from the published articles seen on AL.com. Considering timing, Talty followed by Goodman, ist is reasonable to assume so.

Telling things in the articles that a few don't want to address in their "defense" of moves made.

 

[TerryP]

Wasn't Walker an assistant Strength coach at UGA? Isn't Sinclair the man man?

That's not who I'm led to think about the "face" guy. d

It's my opinion Kirby thinks he's missing the "motivator., communicator." HE's blamed culture. It's a message thing.

That comes from the head coach.

 

[OldPlayer]

After seeing a video of Ballou on YouTube (and sharing earlier), the algorithm keeps bringing up additional videos to watch. I looked at some of the comments to see how he was received/perceived at Indiana and almost all the comments are from Alabama fans. Very few, if any, from Indiana fans. Ballou has come into a different world. I can just imagine him at the first home game in front of 101k+ (Indiana's Memorial Stadium capacity = 52,656; 2019 average attendance = 41,244 (up from 2018 average of 40,965)).

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

I can just imagine him at the first home game in front of 101k+ (Indiana's Memorial Stadium capacity = 52,656; 2019 average attendance = 41,244 (up from 2018 average of 40,965)).

That's the kind of thing that can be a blessing and a curse. I promise he won't be used to how often he will get recognized by folks on the street going forward. Cochran made the Bama S&C job very visible and folks will know who he is now.

 

[rammerjammer]

That's the kind of thing that can be a blessing and a curse. I promise he won't be used to how often he will get recognized by folks on the street going forward.

It's the off season and this thread has been all over the place.....but along those lines. I wonder if Saban has an indoctrination process for the new staff.? Do's and Don'ts of working at UA.

I remember when Franchione was here, his wife went a local store and was shocked some little old lady knew who she was. This was like the first month she was here. I think that Fishbowl was something Fran was not prepared for when he took this job. Same could be said for Price. Rumor was, that Mal had several conversations with him about going to local bars and hanging out at the local watering holes and being seen.

 

[BamaFan334]

It's the off season and this thread has been all over the place.....but along those lines. I wonder if Saban has an indoctrination process for the new staff.? Do's and Don'ts of working at UA.

I remember when Franchione was here, his wife went a local store and was shocked some little old lady knew who she was. This was like the first month she was here. I think that Fishbowl was something Fran was not prepared for when he took this job. Same could be said for Price. Rumor was, that Mal had several conversations with him about going to local bars and hanging out at the local watering holes and being seen.

I always wondered things like this myself. I would see players on and around campus, but I never saw the first coach.