Steele was raised in Greenwood, Indiana.[1] He has had a pet alligator named "Crocky-J" since he was in first or second grade; the alligator grew to four or five feet in length.[2] He attended Center Grove High School in Greenwood,[3] rushing for 1,659 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior in 2020.[4] He tallied a total of 5,907 rushing yards during his high school career.[5] He was selected as Mr. Football in Indiana after the 2020 season.[6]
College football
Steele signed a letter of intent to play college football at Ball State University in February 2021.[6] Due to his long blonde hair, fitness (less than 10% body fat), and talents as a running back, he received nicknames at Ball State, including "Thor", "Fabio", and "Man of Steele".[7] As a freshman in 2021, he rushed for 891 yards and six touchdowns.[8] During his freshman year, he squatted 615 pounds and was able to bench press 405 lbs.[2]Barstool Sports' podcast "Unnecessary Roughness" called him "the most interesting man in CFB (college football)."[2]
Prior to the 2022 season, Steele was selected by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic to his list of the top 100 "freaks" in college football.[2] On November 8, 2022, he rushed for a career-high 198 yards and three touchdowns against Toledo.[9] He also rushed for 192 yards against Kent State.[10] He was awarded MAC West Offensive Player of the Week twice during the 2022 season.[11][12] Through games played on November 19, 2022, Steele ranked ninth nationally with 1,376 rushing yards on 263 attempts (5.2 yards per carry).[13]