PORTLAND, Ore. – Once again, TopDrawerSoccer has Portland Pilots Men's Soccer with one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, ranking them fourth in the final Transfer Portal Rankings
This class features the likes of Isaac Emojong, Olayinka Ogunleye, Oskar Kaufmann, Dominic Berrios, Denzel Akriyem, Justin Nelson, Javier Hernandez and Nick Bishop.

Emojong played at Utah Valley last year tallying six goals and two assists to lead the Wolverines with 14 points. He earned All-WAC Second Team honors as well as United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Second Team. He was drafted 31^st overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft by DC United but elected to return to college.

Ogunleye comes over from Louisville where he started in 28 games over two years. This past season for the Cardinal he had two goals and one assist. The Illinois native was named one of the top players in the country, ranking 89^th in the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100. A CSC Academic All-District Team selection as well as a 2025 ACC All-Academic Team selection, Ogunleye was picked 66^th overall in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas and also elected to return.

Kaufmann played the 2025-2026 season with USC Upstate where he recorded 11 goals and an assist for 23 points. His 11 goals were 19th nationally and helped him get selected to the All-Big South First Team.

Berrios arrives at The Bluff from a familiar WCC opponent in the Pacific Tigers. Berrios was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team playing 1,176 minutes and notching five points.

Hernandez spent this past season with the North Carolina Tar Heels, playing in seven matches with one start, earning that start against the College of Charleston. Prior to joining the Tar Heels, Hernandez starred for Arlington High School and was named the 2023-24 Gatorade California Boys Soccer Player of the Year. He set a school record with 34 goals and was a first-team all-league selection. Hernandez, who is the brother of Pilot goalkeeper Miguel-Angel Hernandez, starred in LAFC's academy, playing LAFC 2 in the MLS NextPro league. With LAFC 2 Hernandez had seven starts and scored six goals, including a hat trick in 2024.

Akriyem played most recently at Tyler Junior College, one of the most dominant junior college programs in the country. As a defender, Akyirem started in all 19 matches during the 2025 season, guiding his team to success from the back. Tyler Junior College had an almost perfect season with a 17-1-1 record last year. Akyirem and the Apaches received runner-up in the 2023 NJCAA Division I National Soccer Tournament and won the 2025 NJCAA Region 14 Championship.
 
Nelson led Rollins College to the Division ? Final and his 10 goals and five assists were good for 25 points leading Rollins in that category. Graduating from De Smet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, Bishop is a highly touted goalkeeper and stands at 6-foot-2 . Bishop went to the University of Pittsburg in the 2025 season. He redshirted in 2025. Bishop logged 12 games with St. Louis City 2 in MLS NextPro, playing a total of 1,080 minutes and recording four clean sheets.
 
Momentum is strong for Portland, who put together one of the best seasons in program history this past season. Their 14-2-4 record gave them their best winning percentage since 1988 (.800) and helped them earn the 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was the third time in program history the Pilots have earned the first-round bye and the second time under Carlin-Voigt. They advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time under Carlin-Voigt and third time since 1995, becoming one of just four programs to reach the Elite Eight twice in the last four years. It was the first time they've ever hosted the Elite Eight as well.

The Pilots were ranked in the top 10 nationally from Sept. 9 onward, including ranking as high as first in the nation. It was the first time in program history the Pilots have ranked first overall in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Along with the team success, the Pilots have had eight players selected to the MLS SuperDraft the last three seasons and three players earn invites to U.S. Men's National Team camps. Three of the Pilots' most recent MLS SuperDraft selections – Efetobo Aror (12^th overall in 2025), Joe Highfield (11^th overall in 2026) and Nikos Clarke-Tosczak (19^th overall in 2026) – have all elected to return for the 2026 season as well.

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