Alcorn Soccer Predicted Fourth in SWAC Preseason

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alcorn Soccer is entering the 2026 season with a little extra buzz around the program, and for good reason. The Braves were tabbed to finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference's preseason poll, a vote of confidence from around the league that reflects the momentum the team carried into the offseason.
 
It's the kind of preseason projection that tends to get talked about. And for a program that spent last season fighting its way up the standings, it's a sign that people are taking notice.
 
The Braves finished sixth in SWAC regular season play a year ago, a modest showing on paper.
 
But anyone who followed the team down the stretch knows the real story was written in November.
 
Alcorn caught fire at just the right time, riding a wave of momentum into the SWAC Tournament and advancing to the semifinals before the run finally came to an end. That postseason surge left a mark – on the players, on the coaching staff, and clearly on the coaches and administrators around the conference who cast their preseason ballots this summer.
 
"We know what this team is capable of when we're playing our best soccer," stated Ken Kabiru – set to start his second full season in charge of the program in Lorman. "Last year showed everybody – including ourselves, what happens when this group locks in together. A preseason ranking is nice, but it doesn't win you anything. We're using it as motivation, not a finish line."
 
That sentiment of respect for the recognition, but a refusal to get comfortable with it, has become something of a theme heading into fall camp. The coaching staff has been quick to remind players that polls are voted on in early August, not earned on the field.
 
"Preseason rankings are a reflection of last year's work, not this year's," added Kabiru, whose team kept three clean sheets in 2025. "Every season starts at zero. We're excited about where this program is headed, but we've got to go prove it one game at a time."
 
The Purple and Gold won't have to wait long to get started.
 
Alcorn opens the 2026 season at home on August 13, hosting McNeese in a matchup taking place at Key City Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
 
"There's nothing like playing in front of our home crowd for the season opener," expressed Kabiru. "Our fans stuck with us through that stretch run last year, and they really embraced Vicksburg as our home away from home, so to speak. We want to give them a reason to keep showing up."
 
As for the rest of the conference picture, Jackson State enters the year as the preseason favorite to win the SWAC, with Grambling State picked second and Alabama A&M rounding out the top three. Alcorn's fourth-place projection puts the Braves right in the thick of a competitive upper tier, and the coaching staff isn't shying away from that challenge.
 
"Iron sharpens iron," Kabiru stated. "Playing against good teams every week is what's going to get us ready for another postseason run. We embrace that."
 
Texas Southern was voted fifth, followed by Prairie View A&M, Southern (La.), Alabama State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to complete the nine participating SWAC Soccer programs representing the preseason poll.
 
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