Map: Hometown of every SEC head coach

Published: Apr 12, 2017 · 8:30 PM EDT

Note: For the purposes of this story, we’re defining “hometown” as the city in which each coach was born.

We’ve mapped the hometown of every SEC head coach. With the addition of LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and the subtraction of former coach Les Miles, the league’s footprint shifts to the south.

More specifically, the Big Ten footprint among the hometowns of the SEC’s leading men continues to shrink. Two years ago there were eight head coaches from that region; in 2017 there are just five.

The SEC is becoming more and more a stay-at-home conference. Adding Orgeron to the map makes six the number of head coaches from states with SEC schools in them.

Here’s a closer look at all the coaches divided by region, followed by a table of all the hometowns.

CHART OF SEC COACHES AND THEIR HOMETOWNS

Team	Head Coach	Place of Birth	Population
Alabama	Nick Saban	Fairmont, W.Va.	18,704*
Arkansas	Bret Bielema	Prophetstown, Ill.	2,007*
Auburn	Gus Malzahn	Irving, Texas	232,406*
Florida	Jim McElwain	Missoula, Mont.	69,821*
Georgia	Kirby Smart	Montgomery, Ala.	200,481*
Kentucky	Mark Stoops	Youngstown, Ohio	65,062*
LSU	Ed Orgeron	Larose, La.	7,400^
Mississippi	Hugh Freeze	Oxford, Miss.	21,757*
Mississippi State	Dan Mullen	Drexel Hill, Penn.	28,043^
Missouri	Barry Odom	Lawton, Okla.	97,017*
South Carolina	Will Muschamp	Rome, Ga.	35,997*
Tennesssee	Butch Jones	Saugatuck, Mich.	963*
Texas A&M	Kevin Sumlin	Brewton, Ala.	5,391*
Vanderbilt	Derek Mason	Phoenix, Ariz.	1,537,058*

*Estimated as of 2014.
^As of 2010.

SOUTH (7)

From West to East on the map:

Team	Head Coach	Place of Birth	Population
Missouri	Barry Odom	Lawton, Okla.	97,017*
Auburn	Gus Malzahn	Irving, Texas	232,406*
LSU	Ed Orgeron	Larose, La.	7,400^
Mississippi	Hugh Freeze	Oxford, Miss.	21,757*
Texas A&M	Kevin Sumlin	Brewton, Ala.	5,391*
Georgia	Kirby Smart	Montgomery, Ala.	200,481*
South Carolina	Will Muschamp	Rome, Ga.	35,997*

*Estimated as of 2014.
^As of 2010.

Alabama is the only state with two SEC head coaches (Smart and Sumlin).

The addition of Orgeron tipped the scales in favor of the South in regards to region most SEC coaches are from. Before his addition, it was a tie between North and South, both with six. However, subtracting the northern-born Miles couple with the addition of Orgeron gives the South a 7-5 edge. It’s a precarious lead to be sure, but a lead nonetheless.

Freeze, born in Oxford, Miss., is the closest SEC head coach from hometown to his current job. Orgeron, born in Larose, La., is a close second, being less than 100 miles from Baton Rouge.

NORTH-ISH (5)

From West to East on map:

Team	Head Coach	Place of Birth	Population
Arkansas	Bret Bielema	Prophetstown, Ill.	2,007*
Tennesssee	Butch Jones	Saugatuck, Mich.	963*
Kentucky	Mark Stoops	Youngstown, Ohio	65,062*
Alabama	Nick Saban	Fairmont, W.Va.	18,704*
Mississippi State	Dan Mullen	Drexel Hill, Penn.	28,043^

*Estimated as of 2014.
^As of 2010.

The Big Ten region no longer has the stronghold on SEC coaches, although there are still a handful of them, Nick Saban being one, who grew up just south of the western Pennsylvania state line.

Ohio went from three to two to one SEC coach in a two-year span with the departures of Gary Pinkel and Miles, respectively.

Bielema and Jones are also in this region and for now are still head coaches of their respective schools. However, an upturn in victories will be necessary for each if they want to keep their seats coolish.

Stoops remains a fixture in the region, spending an inordinate amount of time in Ohio sourcing his recruiting classes.

WEST (2)

From West to East on map:

Team	Head Coach	Place of Birth	Population
Florida	Jim McElwain	Missoula, Mont.	69,821*
Vanderbilt	Derek Mason	Phoenix, Ariz.	1,537,058*

*Estimated as of 2014.
^As of 2010.

Worth noting: Mason is the only SEC head coach from a major metropolis. McElwain was born in the western most area of all SEC head coaches.

Glenn Sattell

Glenn Sattell is an award-winning freelance writer for Saturday Down South.