De’Mard Llorens walked onto the Northwestern State football team as a freshman in 2013, and ran onto the All-Southland Conference team as a first-team selection at running back.

Llorens, a senior for the Demons, led the Southland in rushing overall and in conference play this season. He was rewarded by the 11 head coaches and their sports information contacts, who voted on the all-conference squad.

Senior center Cameron Hussey was a second-team All-Southland pick. He was the top performer on an offensive line that paved the way for the Demons to average 204 yards rushing in league play, second in the conference.

Four other NSU players received honorable mention recognition: senior punt returner Shakeir Ryan, junior safety Austin Balthazor and junior kicker Eric Piccione, and sophomore offensive lineman Chris Zirkle.

Llorens (5-11, 213), a Natchitoches native and Natchitoches Central High School standout, led the Southland with an 85-yard overall rushing average in 10 games (12 yards better than the second-ranked runner) and a 99-yard average (nearly 17 yards ahead of No. 2) in eight conference contests. That included an abbreviated outing at Central Arkansas where on his second carry, he sustained a shoulder injury that benched him for the rest of that game and the next contest.