Coughlan joined the Newtownshandrum club at the age of five and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels with amalgamated side Shandrum.
[2] Coughlan's debut season ended with further success on 29 November following Newtownshandrum's 2-11 to 2-09 defeat of Ballygunner to win the Munster Championship.
Coughlan made his championship debut on 18 June, scoring two goals, in Cork's 10-20 to 1-13 All-Ireland Qualifier defeat of Laois.
[15] After failing to secure a regular place on the starting fifteen, Coughlan contemplated leaving the panel in favour of travel in June 2015.
In January 2016, Coughlan was effectively dropped from the Cork senior team when he failed to be included on Kieran Kingston's panel for the 2016 National Hurling League.