D2football.com announced the Elite 100 and four Lakers were named to the team, including senior offensive lineman Gabe Brown and junior linebacker Anthony Cardamone earning D2Football.com Elite 100 First-Team plaudits. Junior defensive end Niles King and junior cornerback Devin Pringle were named to the defensive squad. Grand Valley State, the two-time defending GLIAC Champions, was ranked fifth in the D2football.com preseason media poll.

Brown earned First-Team All-GLIAC honors as a junior and anchors one of the top offensive lines in the country. Cadamone, who earned All-GLIAC and CCA All-Region honors as a sophomore, tallied 72 total tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and six QB sacks during the 2023 campaign. King also earned All-GLIAC and CCA All-Region plaudits as a sophomore, while notching 28 stops, 13.5 tackles for loss and 10 QB sacks. Pringle tallied 32 tackles and eight pass break-ups en route to earning First-Team All-GLIAC honors in 2023. 

GVSU has now been ranked in the top 10 of a national preseason poll 20 times since 2002 (23 polls), including 17 top five rankings and 13 top three rankings.