NATCHITOCHES – After seeing record-shattering production over the past two seasons from his initial group of junior college transfers, Northwestern State football coach Jay Thomas announced Wednesday the addition of four JUCO standouts, headed by the eighth-best rusher in the country this fall.

Running back Chris Jones of Southwest Mississippi Community College averaged 122.6 yards rushing this fall, ranking eighth in the NJCAA, while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He was one of three offensive players signed by NSU who will enroll in classes next month and take part in spring practice.

Also lining up with the Demons: quarterback Joel Blumenthal of Butler (Kan.) Community College, center Cameron Hussey of unbeaten Trinity Valley Community College, and cornerback Ralphael Green from Northeast Mississippi Community College, said Thomas.

In the past two years, NSU has had its best back-to-back seasons since 2003-04 thanks to contributions by JC transfers Zach Adkins at quarterback, Garrett Atzenweiler at running back and receiver Bryant Mitchell, along with cornerback Jason Yarbor. The Demons broke 30 school records this season.

The new additions had Thomas smiling Wednesday afternoon.

"These guys are great fits in our program. They are good young men with good parents and families who are committed to graduating and are also obviously football players who we believe will make immediate impacts on the field," he said. "We're very excited about these guys and they're excited about us."

Jones (5-9, 180), a native of Tylertown, Miss., was ranked the No. 22 junior college running back in the country by Rivals.com and turned down FBS offers to sign with the Demons.  This fall for the Bears, he averaged 10.8 yards per reception, scored six touchdowns and had 981 yards rushing in nine games. In high school, he scored 37 touchdowns for the Tylertown Chiefs, averaging 7.0 yards per carry and posting 2,844 career rushing yards.

"He comes from an offense that is very similar to what we do, with zone blocking up front. He can be an every-down back. He runs like he's 215 pounds, not 180, and he can get the third-and-shorts. He has great vision, is a very patient runner, and the first guy misses about every time. He's going to be a big-time addition to the backfield," said Thomas.

"Tucker Peavy is his junior college head coach and we go way back. It's just a perfect fit for him to come from that program to this one and we're very excited about it."

Hussey (6-3, 275) helped Trinity Valley earn a No. 3 national ranking with a conference championship under former NSU graduate assistant Brad Smiley. The Cardinals averaged 650 yards in total offense, including 286.6 rushing, and scored 58.7 points per game, ending their season with a Heart of Texas Bowl win over Coffeyville (Kan.) CC.

Hussey was a first-team all-district lineman at Cy Falls High School in Houston and helped his Class 5A team go 8-2 and average 33 points in his senior prep season.

"Coming from Brad Smiley's program, you know he's well coached. He's the leader of that offensive line, very mobile, very tough, very aggressive, very intelligent. He's a country-type kid who fits our mold here. He likes to hunt, likes to fish – he's my kind of guy," said Thomas. "We're trying to create some quality depth and competition on the offensive line and getting Cameron here helps that dramatically."

Blumenthal (6-1, 185) has three seasons to play after splitting time at quarterback for Butler this year with a sophomore who signed with an FBS school. Blumenthal completed 63 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and averaged 4.3 yards per carry while scoring two times on the ground for a Grizzlies squad that averaged 45 points and 475 yards per game.

"Both quarterbacks from Butler are going on to play at Division I schools. With the guys we have coming back at quarterback – Daniel Hazlewood, J.D. Almold, T.J. Fleeton, and Nick Fabrizio – it's going to be very competitive. Joel has three years and that gives him time to learn the system and grow within the system.

"He's a very talented athlete who has a lot of qualities that fit what we're trying to do. He has the ability to run and move in the pocket – he's a 4.5 40-yard dash guy – and he's smart, tough and has really good throwing mechanics," said Thomas.

In high school, the Edmond, Okla., native was a standout at Deer Creek High, throwing for 32 touchdowns with only seven interceptions in 291 attempts, completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,456 yards as a senior. Also running for nine touchdowns, Blumenthal led the Antlers to the District 5A-2 championship.

Green (6-3, 205) earned a spot in the first Northeast Mississippi Junior College All-Star Game after his only season at cornerback. After playing receiver in his freshman season with the TIgers, he had an interception and a forced fumble this fall with 17 tackles. At Ripley (Miss.) High, Green was a two-sport standout who started at receiver and defensive back in football.

"We had four senior corners this season, so obviously that's a position we need to address," said Thomas. "One of my former players at Nicholls, Kareem Moore, coached him this year. Kareem was an outstanding player in the Southland Conference and played five years in the NFL for the Redskins, so he knows what it takes and what I like, and he highly recommended Ralpheal.

"His size really brings a different dimension at that position and it's really going to help. He's a talented young man, and a great guy."

The four newcomers are an excellent start to the 2015 signing class, said Thomas.

"We tell our current players that we're bringing in guys who are going to challenge them, and everybody gets better as a result. We're trying to get better and competition every day makes you better. We're going to try to up our talent level with each recruiting class."