The Midwest Conference released its 2021 Football Coaches Poll on Wednesday and the Foresters were third in the rankings.
Voting is done by the MWC head football coaches. Each coach votes for the other nine schools in the league in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (nine points for first, eight for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
Monmouth College was atop the poll with 72 points and garnered all but one of the first place votes. The Fighting Scots were followed by the University of Chicago with 60 points and Lake Forest with 58 and the other first place vote.
The Foresters won all three of their games last year in an abbreviated spring season. Wide receiver/kick returner A.J. Jackson scored five total touchdowns and was a First Team All-American as a punt returner for the second year in a row. Safety Danny Baker earned Second Team All-American honors for his work on special teams and cornerback Kobee Marion was a Second Team All-Region selection on defense. Running back Armani Brown averaged 5.3 yards per carry and rushed for three scores while linebacker Dominic Johnson led the squad with 20 tackles.
Jim Catanzaro's 13th year as the program's head coach will begin under the lights at Wisconsin Lutheran College this Saturday. Lake Forest will once again celebrate Heroes Day and open the nine-game conference season at home against Lawrence University on September 11. Homecoming is set for October 2 against Cornell College and the Foresters will play three of their last four regular season games at home, including the finale against Chicago on November 13.
| PLACE | TEAM (First Place Votes) | POINTS |
| 1 | Monmouth College (8) | 72 |
| 2 | University of Chicago | 60 |
| 3 | Lake Forest College (1) | 58 |
| 4 | Illinois College | 56 |
| 5 | Ripon College | 44 |
| 6 | Cornell College | 35 |
| 7 | Knox College | 28 |
| 8 | Beloit College | 24 |
| 9 | Lawrence University | 18 |
| 10 | Grinnell College | 10 |
