Where are the SEC head coaches from? We take a look at the hometowns and colleges attended of the 14 SEC head coaches.

While these coaches are royalty in the southeast today, few of them have origins in this region of the country.

Team Head Coach Place of Birth College Attended
Alabama Nick Saban Fairmont, W.Va. Kent State
Arkansas Bret Bielema Prophetstown, Ill. Iowa
Auburn Gus Malzahn Irving, Texas Arkansas / Henderson St.
Florida Jim McElwain Missoula, Mont. Eastern Washington
Georgia Mark Richt Omaha, Neb. Miami (Fla.)
Kentucky Mark Stoops Youngstown, Ohio Iowa
LSU Les Miles Elyria, Ohio Michigan
Mississippi Hugh Freeze Oxford, Miss. Southern Miss
Mississippi State Dan Mullen Drexel Hill, Penn. Ursinus
Missouri Gary Pinkel Akron, Ohio Kent State
South Carolina Steve Spurrier Miami Beach, Fla. Florida
Tennesssee Butch Jones Saugatuck, Mich. Ferris State
Texas A&M Kevin Sumlin Brewton, Ala. Purdue
Vanderbilt Derek Mason Phoenix, Ariz. Northern Arizona

SEC Hometowns

Have a look at where the SEC head coaches were born. It appears that Jim McElwain indeed has the furthest to travel from his current employer to his hometown.

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Colleges Attended

Here are some interesting tidbits regarding the SEC head coaches and the colleges they attended:

  • Hugh Freeze is the only current head coach to not play football at the collegiate level.
  • Seven SEC head coaches played for colleges that are currently identified as Power 5 schools.
  • Both Mark Stoops and Bret Bielema played at Iowa. Their playing careers did not overlap.
  • Both Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel played at Kent State during the same time period in the early 1970s. Both Saban and Pinkel went on to become Graduate Assistants at Kent State following the conclusion of their playing careers.
  • Steve Spurrier is the only head coach to have won a Heisman Trophy as a player.