Scott Cochran talks his recovery and return to coaching

Scott Cochran, known as "Coach Yeah," has returned to coaching as the head coach at the University of West Alabama after a notable tenure as the strength and conditioning coach under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2007 to 2019.

Scott Cochran strength coach, yeah yeah yeah. *** rise to fame few others have seen. I just wasn't prepared for it. For years in Alabama, Scott Cochran captured the attention of the entire college football world. It wasn't just motivating the players now. Now they got me on *** jumbotron. I'm doing *** PSA over here. ESPN is coming in. 60 Minutes is coming in. And it wasn't just pointless noise. Cochran was seeing results, coaching in national championship games, developing dozens of NFL draft picks. It was great, but behind closed doors, *** private battle with pain, that motivational yelling, the thing that made him *** star, was causing debilitating migraines. I could have easily. Had the same microphone I use now at practice. I could have had that in the weight room and wouldn't have had to yell as much, but I thought that was soft, so there's no way I would show weakness to *** team that I'm trying to teach to be savages, right? By 2010, Cochran turned to doctors for help. They started with Valium. They started with uh like uh blood thinners, beta blockers, all these different things that just didn't work, and then they gave me oxycodone. And it was like I could breathe. But that relief soon turned into *** big problem. 2015 is when I started snorting them and that's when I knew, right, I've obviously got an issue here. I got up to about 50 pills *** day, 50 30s *** day. By the end of the 2019 season, Cochran felt like something needed to change. In an attempt to escape his addiction, he left Alabama to be the special teams coordinator at Georgia. I was literally thought that if I left. Tuscaloosa that I could leave all of those problems there. I had no clue that. I was the problem. Just months after leaving Alabama, *** wake up call no one saw coming. April 10th, 2020. Good Friday. My wife found me overdosed dead on the ground. There's *** book called Smacked. And I feel like that's what I did to my wife that day, but that near death experience wasn't enough. Despite success on the field at Georgia, off the field, Cochran continued to struggle. It all came to *** head in 2023. And then towards the end of the season I picked back up and. My wife noticed and she said something's up. I was like, OK, I gotta take *** step back and so I took *** step back in coaching, but *** big step ahead in recovery. Cochran started the American Addiction Recovery Association, speaking all over the country about overcoming the stigma of addiction. But that's what I want to change. I want people to be up front about their addiction. I want people to know that it's OK to fail because I've I've failed. But when it came to football, that step back didn't last. Hoffer's itch to get back into coaching led him here to the University of West Alabama, *** place he says just felt like the right fit. When I pulled up on campus, it was like God had like *** neon light saying here, uh, this is where I want you. There were many things since I have taken this job. That as God has walked in and said, see, see this is why this is why you're here. Cochran's never been *** head coach before, but he did learn from two of the best, Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. I'm not trying to be the head coach that they are. I'm just trying to be doing his best and doing it his way, the same charisma fans saw on the sidelines all those years at Alabama, but today Cochran isn't the same man and his priorities aren't all football. Through recovery I found out I'm pretty good at this. Uh, we'll find out if I'm *** good head coach, and I just don't take myself as serious as football like we're gonna have some fun. We're gonna bust some heads, we're gonna, you know, take our licks, but like. What I'm teaching them. Off of the football field is where I'm gonna put my moneys that will last *** lifetime for these young men in Livingston, Sarah Killian, WVTM 13.

Updated: 9:22 AM CDT Aug 29, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Scott Cochran talks his recovery and return to coaching

Updated: 9:22 AM CDT Aug 29, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Scott Cochran, known as "Coach Yeah," has returned to coaching as the head coach at the University of West Alabama after a notable tenure as the strength and conditioning coach under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2007 to 2019.Cochran rose to fame at Alabama, capturing the attention of the college football world with his motivational style."It wasn't just motivating the players now. Now they got me on a jumbotron. I'm doing a PSA over here. ESPN coming in, 60 minutes is coming in," Cochran said.His coaching led to national championship games and the development of numerous NFL draft picks.However, Cochran faced a private battle with debilitating migraines caused by his motivational yelling."I could have easily had the same microphone I use now at practice. I could have had that in the weight room and wouldn't have had to yell as much, but I thought that was soft. So there's no way I would show weakness to a team that I'm trying to teach to be savages, right?" Cochran said.By 2010, Cochran sought medical help, starting with various medications that proved ineffective."They started with valium, they started with, like, blood thinners, beta blockers, all these different things that just didn't work," Cochran said. "Then they gave me oxycodone, and it was like, I could breathe."This relief turned into addiction, and by 2015, Cochran realized he had a problem.By the end of the 2019 season, Cochran felt a change was necessary and left Alabama to become the special teams coordinator at Georgia."I thought that if I left Tuscaloosa, that I could leave all of those problems there," Cochran said. "I had no clue that I was the problem."In April 2020, Cochran faced a wake-up call when his wife found him overdosed.Despite success on the field at Georgia, Cochran continued to struggle off the field, culminating in 2023 when his wife noticed his issues resurfacing."Towards the end of the season, it picked back up and my wife noticed, and she said, something's up," Cochran said. "I was like, 'okay, I gotta take a step back.' And so I took a step back."Cochran's step back in coaching led to a significant step forward in recovery. He founded the American Addiction Recovery Association, speaking nationwide about overcoming addiction stigma."But that's what I want to change. I want people to be upfront about their addiction. I want people to know that it's okay to fail because I've failed," Cochran said.His return to coaching at the University of West Alabama felt like destiny."When I pulled up on campus, it was like God had like a neon light saying, here, this is where I want you," Cochran said. "There were many things since I have taken this job that it's God has walked in and said, see, see, this is why this is why you're here."Cochran, who learned from Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, is embracing his role as head coach. "I'm not trying to be the head coach that they are. I'm just trying to be me. And I'm going to do my best," Cochran said.Through recovery, Cochran has discovered new strengths."Through recovery, I found out I'm pretty good at this stuff. We'll find out of my good head coach, and I just don't take myself as serious," Cochran said. "It's football. Like we're going to have some fun. We're going to bust some heads. We're going to, you know, take our licks. But like what I'm teaching them off of the football field is where I'm going to put my money on."West Alabama will open their season on Saturday at historic Legion Field, facing Fort Valley State.

LIVINGSTON, Ala. —

Cochran rose to fame at Alabama, capturing the attention of the college football world with his motivational style.

"It wasn't just motivating the players now. Now they got me on a jumbotron. I'm doing a PSA over here. ESPN coming in, 60 minutes is coming in," Cochran said.

His coaching led to national championship games and the development of numerous NFL draft picks.

However, Cochran faced a private battle with debilitating migraines caused by his motivational yelling.

"I could have easily had the same microphone I use now at practice. I could have had that in the weight room and wouldn't have had to yell as much, but I thought that was soft. So there's no way I would show weakness to a team that I'm trying to teach to be savages, right?" Cochran said.

By 2010, Cochran sought medical help, starting with various medications that proved ineffective.

"They started with valium, they started with, like, blood thinners, beta blockers, all these different things that just didn't work," Cochran said. "Then they gave me oxycodone, and it was like, I could breathe."

This relief turned into addiction, and by 2015, Cochran realized he had a problem.

By the end of the 2019 season, Cochran felt a change was necessary and left Alabama to become the special teams coordinator at Georgia.

"I thought that if I left Tuscaloosa, that I could leave all of those problems there," Cochran said. "I had no clue that I was the problem."

In April 2020, Cochran faced a wake-up call when his wife found him overdosed.

Despite success on the field at Georgia, Cochran continued to struggle off the field, culminating in 2023 when his wife noticed his issues resurfacing.

"Towards the end of the season, it picked back up and my wife noticed, and she said, something's up," Cochran said. "I was like, 'okay, I gotta take a step back.' And so I took a step back."

Cochran's step back in coaching led to a significant step forward in recovery. He founded the American Addiction Recovery Association, speaking nationwide about overcoming addiction stigma.

"But that's what I want to change. I want people to be upfront about their addiction. I want people to know that it's okay to fail because I've failed," Cochran said.

His return to coaching at the University of West Alabama felt like destiny.

"When I pulled up on campus, it was like God had like a neon light saying, here, this is where I want you," Cochran said. "There were many things since I have taken this job that it's God has walked in and said, see, see, this is why this is why you're here."

Cochran, who learned from Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, is embracing his role as head coach. "I'm not trying to be the head coach that they are. I'm just trying to be me. And I'm going to do my best," Cochran said.

Through recovery, Cochran has discovered new strengths.

"Through recovery, I found out I'm pretty good at this stuff. We'll find out of my good head coach, and I just don't take myself as serious," Cochran said. "It's football. Like we're going to have some fun. We're going to bust some heads. We're going to, you know, take our licks. But like what I'm teaching them off of the football field is where I'm going to put my money on."

West Alabama will open their season on Saturday at historic Legion Field, facing Fort Valley State.

Scott Cochran talks his recovery and return to coaching

Scott Cochran, known as "Coach Yeah," has returned to coaching as the head coach at the University of West Alabama after a notable tenure as the strength and conditioning coach under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2007 to 2019.

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