SLU ranked 11th in Athlon Sports FCS Preseason Top 25

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana football team was ranked 11th in the Spring 2021 Athlon Sports FCS Top 25, which was released on Tuesday.

The Lions were one of three Southland Conference teams listed in the top 25. Nicholls, who SLU closes the regular season at on April 10, is No. 8 in the poll. Southeastern opens the season on Feb. 27 at Sam Houston, which is listed as No. 10 by Athlon Sports.

SLU is coming off a 2019 campaign that saw the program return to the FCS playoffs for the third time in school history, finishing the season ranked nationally in both the FCS Coaches (18th) and Stats Perform (19th) polls. The full Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25, including capsules on each team, is available at https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football/athlon-sports-preseason-fcs-top-25-2021-spring.

The Lions return to the practice field on Tuesday for a 3:40 p.m. practice. SLU is scheduled to open its six-game, conference-only spring schedule on Feb. 27 with a 6 p.m. contest at Sam Houston State. The Lions host McNeese at 6 p.m. on March 6 at Strawberry Stadium to open their home slate.

Spring 2021 Athlon Sports Preseason Top 25
1. North Dakota State
2. Weber State
3. Northern Iowa
4. James Madison
5. South Dakota State
6. Kennesaw State
7. Villanova
8. Nicholls
9. Illinois State
10. Sam Houston
11. Southeastern Louisiana
12. Eastern Washington
13. Southern Illinois
14. New Hampshire
15. Furman
16. Jacksonville State
17. North Carolina A&T
18. Albany
19. Austin Peay
20. Wofford
21. Monmouth
22. Delaware
23. Southeast Missouri State
24. Idaho
25. South Carolina State