Alabama football’s strength and conditioning coach vacancy lasted less than a week.
David Ballou is likely to be hired to replace Scott Cochran. FootballScoop first reported the hire after Sports Illustrated reported an offer had been made. Ballou held the same role at Indiana — officially the Director of Athletic Performance, Football — where both and his wife Leah went to school. David was a fullback on the football team in the late 1990s and Leah was a pole vaulter.
A great deal of Ballou’s experience is at the high school level at Avon High School in Indiana and IMG Academy in Florida; he got an opportunity to join Notre Dame’s staff in 2017, where he was for one year before the Indiana opportunity came open for him.
UA head coach Nick Saban said in a statement whoever replaced Cochran would have to make good use of UA’s Sport Science Center, currently under construction next to UA’s weight room and practice facility.
“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,” Saban said.
Ballou is replacing Cochran after 13 years as UA’s strength and conditioning coach, who left to take the on-field role of special teams coordinator for Georgia. UA hosts Georgia for its third game of the 2020 season, on Sept. 19.
