D2Football.com released its preseason Top 25 on Sunday night, and Lenoir-Rhyne finds itself firmly in the rankings.
The Bears, coming off a 13-2 season in 2023, have been picked 12th by the media outlet. They finished seventh in the final D2Football.com poll a year ago.
Lenoir-Rhyne was voted ninth in the other major Division II rankings, the AFCA Coaches Poll, which was released last week. The Bears are the only North Carolina squad in either D2 Top 25.
Lenoir-Rhyne has a new coach this season, Doug Socha, who comes to Hickory from Florida, where he led Keiser University to a NAIA title last fall. The Bears kick off the 2024 campaign on Sept. 7 when Bowie State visits.
D2Football.com Preseason Top 25
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record | 2023 Rank |
| 1. | Harding | 15-0 | 1 |
| 2. | Central Missouri | 11-2 | 4 |
| 3. | Ferris State | 8-3 | 6 |
| 4. | Pittsburg State | 11-2 | 5 |
| 5. | Grand Valley State | 11-2 | 3 |
| 6. | Valdosta State | 12-2 | 9 |
| 7. | Colorado Mines | 14-1 | 2 |
| 8. | Central Washington | 9-4 | 10 |
| 9. | Kutztown | 12-3 | 8 |
| 10. | Slippery Rock | 12-2 | 13 |
| 11. | Minnesota State | 9-3 | 20 |
| 12. | Lenoir-Rhyne | 13-2 | 7 |
| 13. | West Florida | 8-4 | 22 |
| 14. | Delta State | 10-2 | 13 |
| 15. | Indianapolis | 9-2 | 21 |
| 16. | UT Permian Basin | 10-2 | 17 |
| 17. | Ouachita Baptist | 9-2 | NR |
| 18. | Virginia Union | 10-2 | 24 |
| 19. | Western Colorado | 10-2 | 16 |
| 20. | Bemidji State | 9-3 | 12 |
| 21. | Augustana | 11-2 | 15 |
| 22. | Northwest Missouri State | 7-4 | NR |
| 23. | Henderson State | 9-3 | 23 |
| 24. | Charleston | 10-2 | 18 |
| 25. | Minnesota Duluth | 9-2 | 25 |
