On Wednesday, head coach June Jones will sign his second class of recruits to play at SMU. However, this will be the first class that he recruited from start to finish. After taking the Mustangs’ head coaching position in January 2008, he had only one month to contact, recruit and sign players last year.

With an entire year under his belt, Jones has put together an impressive group of players who are expected to sign, despite a disappointing 1-11 season in 2008. So why SMU?

“Two words. Coach Jones,” said Armen Williams, publisher of PonyPride.com. “We all knew Jones would be able to bring in recruits, but the amount of talent that he was able to bring in so quickly is a surprise to everybody.”

Evidence of this can be seen in the commitment of defensive back Ryan Clark, the school’s first four-star recruit since Rivals.com began tracking high school recruits in 2001. In his freshman season at Navarro Junior College, Clark racked up 40 tackles and seven interceptions in just 10 games played on his way to a first team JUCO All-American selection.

Filling the offensive line was a priority for the Mustangs’ coaching staff, according to Williams, and “SMU addressed their needs in a big way.”

Of the 26 players committed to SMU, six are offensive linemen, some of which are expected to make a quick impact.

DeSoto product Chris Atchison turned down offers from Tulsa, Houston and Oklahoma State.

“He is the most versatile,” Williams said. “He has played and can play at every position on the offensive line which gives him an immediate opportunity to contribute.”

In addition, New Orleans native Joey Fontana chose SMU over Kentucky, Nebraska and Stanford, among others.

The only quarterback among the class is former Southlake Carroll Dragon Kyle Padron.

“Kyle brings his physical stature and his ability to scramble,” Williams said. “He needs some work on his accuracy, but has already become a leader of the class.”

When comparing the Mustangs’ 2009 recruits to those of years past, Williams said, “The talent is better. Last year’s class, and the one before, most of the class had only one offer. This year, the kids don’t have to be at SMU – they want to be.”

PonyPride.com and Rivals.com are independent recruiting websites and are not affiliated with Southern Methodist University.