While several Nick Saban disciples have branched off and gotten high-profile jobs as head coaches elsewhere, one assistant hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention but has proven to be just as instrumental.

That man is Scott Cochran, sometimes referred to as the team’s “secret weapon,” and he’s Alabama’s strength and conditioning coach who’s been with Saban for all four of his national championships (including the 2003 title with LSU) and ever since he arrived at Alabama in 2007.

Now, Kirby Smart is hoping to bring Cochran over to Georgia. However, Saban is trying his best to hang on to him.

Saban is trying to convince Cochran to stay with a significant raise, according to The Tuscaloosa News. Cochran recently received a $25,000 raise in June to raise his total salary to $420,000.

Saban may have a tough time keeping Smart, whose family has become close friends with the Cochrans during their tenure in Tuscaloosa.

The Tuscaloosa News also points out that Georgia’s current strength and conditioning coach, Mark Hocke, worked closely with Cochran at Alabama for six years.

After winning a national title with Saban at LSU in 2003, Cochran spent three seasons with the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA as an assistant strength coach before reuniting with Saban at Alabama in 2007.