Spring practice report No. 10: UCLA RB Carson Steele looks to prove himself

An injury as a high school junior, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, made it tough for running back Carson Steele to get noticed despite earning the title of Mr. Football in the state of Indiana in 2020.

Steele was rated a two-star recruit by Rivals out of Central Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind. While he ran for 1,659 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior, the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder landed at Ball State.

Steele followed up a strong freshman year with a breakout sophomore campaign in 2022, leading the Mid-American Conference with 1,556 yards rushing — eighth-best in the country — and 14 touchdowns while developing a reputation as a tough runner. He led the FBS last season in yards after contact and his 33 forced missed tackles ranked only behind Texas star Bijan Robinson, the Doak Walker Award winner who is among the top running backs in this week’s NFL draft.

Steele’s production led him to UCLA, which lost All-American running back Zach Charbonnet to the draft.

Steele, who met with the local media for the first time Tuesday since transferring, said “there’s definitely something I want to prove to myself” by making the jump to a Power 5 conference.

“I was very upset when that happened, but I was very honored that Ball State took a shot on me,” Steele said after the Bruins’ 10th practice of spring camp. “I realized, ‘Hey, I get to play college football.’”

With a couple years of experience, Steele said the move to UCLA and the Pac-12 would be more of “a crazy jump” had he come in as a freshman.

Steele admitted that Bruins head coach Chip Kelly is “testing me a little bit” with the adjustment to a new offense.

While it was a tough decision to leave Ball State, he said, the chance to learn under Kelly and UCLA running backs coach DeShaun Foster was too good to pass up.

“Being able to come out here and have the opportunity to be able to run under coach Kelly’s offense, have the ability to get coached by the people that are here, is just a blessing,” Steele said. “I was going to miss the opportunity if I didn’t come out here and take it.”

Steele is competing with TJ Harden for the starting running back job, though Harden said earlier this spring the duo is more of a “1-2 punch.”

Foster said Steele is “pretty nimble for his size.”

“He’s a big back,” Foster added. “Good feet, runs hard, has a stiff arm — he’s just a talented kid.”

Steele has already proven to be a workhorse in the weight room, too.

In late January, UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond joked on social media that seeing Steele lift in the weight room made him opt for a cardio workout.

“That’s something I’ve always tried to stick to my whole life,” Steele said. “Growing up, my dad always pushed me so hard to be in the weight room. … I would say right around middle school I started getting to that point where I had to train more like an athlete instead of a weightlifter.

The running game hasn’t been able to get the full protection of the offensive line for most of the spring.

Left guard Spencer Holstege, a transfer from Purdue, has missed most of camp with an undisclosed injury and right tackle Garrett DiGiorgio joined him with the other inactive players last week. Both are projected starters.

Reserve lineman Noah Pulealii also was spotted in a sling last week.

None of them took part in team activities Tuesday, but Kelly said the injuries are not “long-term.”

“They’re all working really hard to get back here quickly,” Kelly said. “They’re doing a really good job in the rehab aspect of things. … The good thing is it just provides reps for other guys.”

Here are the full media sessions with Kelly, Steele and Foster: