HOUSTON – A pair of Texas natives return to their home state to put Northwestern State football in the spotlight at Thursday's Southland Conference Football Media Day.
 
Senior offensive lineman Chris Zirkle (League City) and senior safety Nick Forde (DeSoto) will represent the Demons at the conference's annual showcase of its 11 teams.
 
Along with second-year head coach Brad Laird, the pair will be featured on ESPN3 during the Demons' window of time from 11-11:25 a.m.
 
Morning programming runs from 9 a.m.-noon with the show resuming at 1:15 p.m.
 
Zirkle (6-2, 287), a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, is a preseason second-team All-Southland Conference selection and was a second-team all-conference pick in 2017, his most recent full season.
 
Forde recorded 23 tackles in eight games in 2018 and intercepted one pass.
 
The Demons report to Natchitoches on July 30 in preparation for the Aug. 29 season opener at UT Martin. Kickoff for that game is set for 6:30 p.m.