BOONEVILLE, Miss. - Two more alumni of the Northeast Mississippi Community College football program are getting an opportunity to compete amongst some of the top athletes in the world.
Joe Horn, Jr., and Anthony Rush recently signed undrafted free agent (UDFA) contracts with east coast members of the National Football League (NFL).
Horn, Jr., inked a deal with the two-time world champion Baltimore Ravens while Rush joined the Philadelphia Eagles, which is just one season removed from winning its inaugural Super Bowl in February 2018.
The signings of Horn, Jr., and Rush brings the total of former Tigers on active NFL rosters to five, including Mario Addison with the Carolina Panthers, Lavon Hooks with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Daniel Ross with the Dallas Cowboys.
Another Northeast standout, Brynden Trawick, is currently a free agent after playing the last two seasons for the Tennessee Titans. Trawick inking a new contract would increase the program record for most athletes in the NFL at the same time to six.
"Anthony is a great, great kid," said Tigers head coach Greg Davis. "To see how he's developed and matured over the last four-to-five years is amazing. He's very talented with a great upside. He's got an opportunity to be in (the NFL) for a long time.
"Joe is as talented of a player as we've ever had here. He has really great technique and fundamentals. His ability to run, jump and judge (passes) is really amazing. That kid can play and he's earned it I promise you. I couldn't be any more prouder of him."
Horn, Jr., was selected to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State team following the 2014 campaign after catching 33 passes and racking up 435 yards.
He accounted for a team-high six receiving touchdowns during his inaugural season in the City of Hospitality. Three of those came during Northeast's homecoming triumph over Coahoma Community College.
The 5-10, 185-pound wideout was tabbed as a preseason all-region pick and listed as one of the top 15 prospects in the MACJC by the Mississippi Gridiron magazine prior to his sophomore year.
Horn, Jr., set a career-high during the first game of the 2015 season with 119 receiving yards plus a touchdown against Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He averaged 14.2 yards per catch for the Tigers that year.
The Atlanta, Ga., native completed his collegiate career at Missouri Western State University last fall. His total numbers between his tenure with the Griffons and Northeast includes 66 receptions, 936 yards and seven touchdowns.
Rush was an integral part of the Tigers' sensational 2016 team that compiled a 6-3 overall record and finished with a top 10 ranking in the final National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) poll.
The 6-5, 350-pounder was honored with MACJC All-State distinction after leading all defensive linemen for Northeast with 33 tackles. Rush tallied a season-best six stops during the Tigers' victory at Southwest Mississippi Community College.
The Raleigh, N.C., product was just as good as a freshman with 40 tackles, including nine for loss, and three sacks. He set career game-highs of 13 takedowns plus 4.5 tackles for loss that year during Northeast's visit to Mississippi Delta Community College.
He helped the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) make its return to the gridiron following a two-year hiatus during the 2017-18 campaigns. Rush racked up 77 tackles with 20 of them for loss during his time with the Blazers.
Rush was recognized as the defensive most valuable player (MVP) of the 2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. He accumulated five total stops, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack during his final collegiate contest, which UAB won 37-13 over Northern Illinois University.