* Classes weighted by TopDrawerSoccer.com Players To Watch® & Top 100 Lists

No. 1: Tulsa

Winning breeds winning. And the Golden Hurricane had enough success last year to attract even more. After finishing atop Conference USA and making a run to the NCAA tournament in 2008, Tulsa has invited enough talent to make it a clear favorite heading into a new season.

Ethan Bauer (Kansas City Wizards) and Tanner Petrick (Dallas Texans) will join an already potent offense that will return standouts like Austin Neil, Jose Parada and Ashley McInnes.

On the defensive side, incoming goalkeepers Cody Mumma and Michael Murray will be battling it out in net, and back Matthew Boullt (Tulsa SC) will also be a welcome addition.

Tulsa will keep winning and continue building.

No. 2:  SMU

The Mustangs finished in a three-way tie for third place in the conference last season, but may have officially separated itself from the logjam.

Bryan Ponce (92), of Pateadores Soccer Club, is a major pickup who headlines a good group of players for SMU. Ponce brings a talent from marking 1v1 at the central defender position, and has the ability to compete against the best attackers in the country.

T.J. Nelson (North Texas Strikers) is a strong defender who gets the job done with speed. His contributions will be valued right alongside Ponce’s.

Austin Hiatt is another defender who will join the fray, along with forward Ben Hill (Dallas Texans), who could team with senior striker Paulo da Silva, one of the team’s top scorers from a year ago.

No. 3: UCF

Central Florida has the distinction of owning the largest signing class in the conference with 12 players, but it also packs some punch.

Andrew Quintana (52) can play on either side of the ball, and uses his athleticism to mark players well and also get the ball forward. Malcolm Reed is another great defender who is strong in the air and has a great range of covering.

The Golden Knights have a range of players from all over the world. Three standouts from New Zealand will make their way to the squad along with forward William Hunt and midfielder Jeffrey Simmons.   

Yes, it’s a big bunch, and a talented one as well.

No. 4: South Carolina

The Gamecocks proved to be one of the better defensive teams in the conference in 2008, and from the looks of things the program has taken steps to ensure they remain that way.

Two-way players Eric Martinez (North Meck SC) and Kevin Stam (CASL) will fit in well with the rest of the team’s young core. Goalkeeper Alex Long and midfielder Ryan Goodwin round out what is a small but quality group.

Defense wins championships, and the Gamecocks keeps developing theirs.

No. 5: Memphis

The Tigers have nine new freshmen, including Coastal Soccer Club star Justin Watson. Watson, a regular in US Youth National camps, is as fast as they come. He’s a tireless worker and can score from multiple angles. He should be a quick learner at the college level.

Other attackers include Joey Deloney, Jon Wright, J.J. Greer and Mark Sherrod. Defenders Jordan Johnson, Patrick Kelly, Adam Thornton will be players to watch for as well.

Memphis finished 6-11-2 a year ago and is looking to make the leap to becoming a conference contender.


Others: University of Alabama-Birmingham(m) has seven players to be excited about, including Olaide Yusef, Hudson Jetton and Matt Nagler.

Incompletes: Kentucky

The Wildcats didn’t officially release their signing class, but it is known that they’ll have Concorde Fire midfielder Cameron Wilder. Wilder takes on defenders well and has the ability to turn the ball up-field. He’ll be joined by Shawn Parker and Tyler Beadle as Kentucky newcomers.

Neither Florida International or Marshall reported its signing class.