Interview: California 2019 CB Chris Steele is Locked in with UCLA but Interest is Building

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Success attracts attention and all of the players on Saint John Bosco’s 2016 California championship winning team seemingly has the eye of college football recruiters from across the country. The attention is warranted with Braves’ head coach Jason Negro consistently turning raw high school talent into top collegiate prospects forming national powerhouse teams year after year. One of the Braves’ top underclassmen pulling in a tremendous amount of attention is Class of 2019 cornerback Chris Steele.

Steele was one of the surprise pieces to St. John Bosco’s 13-2 season. The Braves picked up another CIF Championship with a 56-33 win over De La Salle ending the year as the No. 2 team in the country per MaxPreps. All Steele did during his sophomore season is come up with 81 tackles, a tackle for a loss, broke up seven passes, picked off a pass, and had one fumble recovery. The stat line would be impressive for an outside linebacker, a defensive end, and for a safety but packs a bigger impact coming from a sophomore corner.

The big impression left with college coaches has led to nine scholarship offers for the 6-1, 185 pound, talent. Offers have been extended from Nebraska, USC, Howard, Washington State, Jackson State, Arizona, BYU, and Utah. The offer that won out early came from UCLA leading to Steele’s commitment to the Bruins on Jan. 30.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with one of the top defensive players in the 2019 class covering his sophomore season while getting insight to his commitment with the Bruins.

Interview

Chris, you played a big part in St. John Bosco’s championship run in 2016, how did the season go overall for you?

“I feel like – we won the state championship, it was a good season. It felt good to contribute the way that I did. I feel like I did well. I put up good numbers. I wish I could have had more interceptions but they did not throw my way too much. It was a great season overall.”

Going into the 2016 season did you know that you would be a starter and counted on to have such a big impact with the team?

“Honestly I didn’t. There are not too many sophomores that could come in and take a starting position with Bosco. There were upperclassmen ahead of me. I had to work hard and show the coaches that they could trust me. I had to work hard and not make mental mistakes so they knew they could trust me out there.”

Your play recognition was really strong last year. How did you prepare each week for the opposition?

“I really watched a lot of film. Going over game film, we would look at the receivers and the quarterback’s tendencies. The coaches would show me what to read in their hips or their head movement. I watched a lot of film. When we got to the game I was able to recognize the plays and see what the quarterbacks and receivers were doing so I could make plays.”

The Braves played a lot of really good teams last year. Which receiver was the toughest for you to go up against?

“The hardest receiver was Osiris St. Brown (Stanford) with Mater Dei.”

How did that challenge help make you better?

“He was a five-star receiver, one of the best if not the best in 2017 class. I’m not going to get to see too many receivers that has the talent that he has. The routes and speed he has. When I played against him it made it easier for me to adjust against teams like Centennial and De La Salle.

“I went up against one of the best in practice in Terrell Bynum (2017 Washington signee). He is a really good receiver (four-star). Going up against him in practice helped me prepare for the games.”

During the 2017 season, will you role with the Braves change on defense or expand to include a position on offense?

“This season I hope to contribute more on both sides of the ball. I have talked to our coaches about that. I have to show them I can fill that role. This year I will see more special teams action and some on offense as well.”

You mentioned special teams, you returned one kick last year for 19 yards, will we see you return kickoffs or punts during your junior season?

“This year I will be back there for kickoffs and maybe punt return.”

What are you working on with your game in the off-season?

“This off-season I have been working on getting out of my breaks faster so I can make more plays on the ball. That is the main focus since I am a bigger corner.”

You committed to UCLA on Jan. 30, what led you to commit to the Bruins?

“The coaching staff, they are one of the best coaching staffs in the country. Coach (Demetrice) Martin, I am close to him and so is my family. I felt like UCLA was the best move for me even though it is early in the process. I can see myself playing there for four years. I can see myself playing for Coach Martin and I can see him getting me ready for the NFL if I am fortunate enough.”

Which teams are showing interest in you but have not offered you yet?

“One of the biggest schools is Ohio State. Right after I committed Coach Bo Davis (linebackers) let me know that he would still recruit me. Coach (Darian) Hagan (running backs) at Colorado has talked to me a couple of time since my commitment. I have been hearing that Boston College is supposed to offer me today (Thursday). Florida and LSU have been talking to my coaches about me too.”

Are any of the teams that have offered you still keeping in contact with you?

“Coach (Roy) Manning (linebackers) at Washington State, he is still recruiting me. Nebraska is still in contact. USC, I was never expecting them to back off. They are still recruiting me. They are hoping to flip my commitment from UCLA to them. Stanford coach, Coach (Duane) Akina (defensive backs), he is still recruiting me.”

Do you have any visits planned for the spring or summer?

“Yes, sir. I am visiting Stanford in the spring. I plan on visiting Nebraska and Ohio State and I am hoping to go to Michigan and Florida State sometime this summer.”

When do you visit UCLA next?

“I was supposed to go to this week but I am going to UCLA next week.”

Do you know which camps you may attend this spring or summer?

“I’m going to the Nike Opening in LA, a Rivals camp, and an Under Armour camp. As far as college camps, I will be at a LSU camp.”

What is your favorite part about playing football?

“Really it is fun. Some kids treat it like a business. I like the fact that I can play a sport that I love and it can help me along. It can provide a free education. There are a lot of benefits from playing football and I love it.”

Chris, thanks for your time today. Good luck with your visit to UCLA next week.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credit: The Mercury News; St. John Bosco championship win.

Photo credit: twitter.com; No. 42 Chris Steele.