LIVINGSTON, Ala. — It didn't take long for Scott Cochran to mention Nick Saban .
In his first appearance as the University of West Alabama football coach , Cochran walked through his plans for the team's "DNA," what he wants the Tigers to become.
"You may have heard some of them, but I'm about to share it with you" Cochran said. "I learned it from a guy right down the street."
More: What West Alabama coach Scott Cochran learned from Alabama football-to-Georgia transition
Cochran and Saban are synonymous, a pair who worked together for four seasons at LSU and for 13 seasons at Alabama as the Crimson Tide football team's strength and conditioning coach.
Working with Saban, Cochran said, taught him so many things. It taught him patience, how to slow down and do things "the right way," which he said also learned from his recovery from a painkillers addiction.
But one Saban lesson, Cochran said, looms the largest.
"The biggest thing that I learned from him is that the players come first, and putting them in an environment for success," Cochran said. "Whether it be helping them academically, whether it be them finding careers. I'm big on the future because of everything he taught me."
Cochran has been a part of eight national championships - one at LSU, one at Georgia and six at Alabama. He made it clear Friday his goal was to reach 10.
It's something Saban is behind, Cochran said, after the former Alabama coach offered his congratulations to the incoming West Alabama coach.
"Just love, all love," Cochran said. "Come on. I worked for the man 18 years. He is a father figure for me, so I learned everything I have from him."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What Scott Cochran heard from Nick Saban after West Alabama football hire
