Former Center Grove running back Carson Steele was one of the nation’s leading rushers as a sophomore at Ball State last season.
Associated Press
Carson Steele looked California long before arriving there.
Having boasted shoulder-length (or beyond) blonde hair since early elementary school, the former Center Grove football player is the Indiana kid who seemed destined to enjoy life a short distance from beaches and crashing waves.
And now he is.
Steele, who rushed for 2,447 yards and 20 touchdowns in two seasons at Ball State, made it official on Jan. 4 by committing to play at UCLA.
The hard-charging 6-foot-1, 230-pounder will have two years of eligibility.
“Personality-wise, it just kind of fit me,” said Steele, who opted for a life out west over offers from Purdue, Indiana, Kentucky and Baylor. “You either take your chance, or you lose your opportunity.”
Steele made himself a sought-after prospect after finishing his sophomore season as the country’s eighth-leading rusher with 1,556 yards. He entered the transfer portal on Dec. 3, less than two weeks after the Cardinals’ final game, an 18-17 loss at Miami of Ohio.
Steele’s second recruitment proved a drastic departure from his first.
Despite his dazzling accomplishments as a high school football player — including 5,907 career rushing yards, 82 touchdowns and numerous other single-season and career school standards — he was a two-star recruit.
“Coming out of high school, Ball State was my only (FBS scholarship) offer,” Steele said. “I was very thankful they took a chance on me, but with COVID going on, nobody really had a good idea about anything when it came to recruiting.
“It was just a mess.”
Nonetheless, these are the gusts that continue to fan Steele’s motivational flames.
The two-star tag is with him as he sweats through workouts, runs sprints, blocks for a teammate or totes the pigskin himself and fights for extra yardage.
“Yeah, coming out of high school, it was very hard,” Steele said.
UCLA’s running backs coach is none other than former Bruins All-American DeShaun Foster, a seven-year NFL veteran (2002-08) who joined the coaching staff at his alma mater in January 2017.
Foster likes what he sees in Steele and expects him to be in the running to replace Zach Charbonnet, who rushed for 1,369 yards and 14 touchdowns last season before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Some mock drafts have Chabonnet being selected as high as the second round come April.
Steele, who is similar to the 6-1, 220-pound Charbonnet physically, in running style and even background (Charbonnet transferred to UCLA after two seasons at Michigan), hopes to eventually put himself in a similar position.
He has wasted no time gaining notice in the few weeks he’s been on campus.
“Carson has impressed me from Day 1. His work ethic, character and want to have been on display since he came into the building,” Foster said. “I can’t wait to see him out on the field for the Bruins this spring.”
UCLA finished last season with a 9-4 record, losing to Pitt in the Sun Bowl, 37-35. The Bruins open the 2023 campaign at home on Sept. 2 against Coastal Carolina.
Steele’s senior season could potentially include a pair of home-spun storylines as UCLA and crosstown rival USC make their debut as members of the Big Ten Conference in the fall of 2024.
At this point, the Bruins’ 2024 schedule includes only nonconference opponents. Time will tell whether the Bruins travel to Indiana and/or Purdue, or if one or both of them travel west to play in the Rose Bowl, UCLA’s home stadium.
“With (UCLA coach Chip) Kelly, it was the way he presented things and the facilities they have here,” Steele said. “And with the long hair, I fit right in. When I tell people I’m from Indiana, they look at me crazy.”
Steele’s beach-ready appearance, combined with his football accomplishments, might also benefit him as a magnet for any name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities presented to him.
Crocky J, the alligator Steele has owned since second grade, surely add to his marketability potential and legend. (The gator, which now measures anywhere from 4 to 5 feet in length, is back home in Greenwood.)
However, Steele wants to focus on school and football for the time being.
“People have been reaching out a little bit, but I want to wait on that,” Steele said. “I want to find out where my classes are and things like that.”
Like Steele himself, the opportunity presented to him is golden.
Wasting it isn’t an option.
