UCLA gets huge transfer portal signing

Steele played the past two seasons in the Mid-American Conference at Ball State. During his sophomore year, he had 289 carries for 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns.

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly had his best season in Los Angeles in 2022. The Bruins finished 9-4, securing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2014 and 2015. He has won 27 games in five seasons as head coach, with 17 of those wins coming during the past two seasons.

Kelly has the program trending in the right direction, and Steele will help keep the momentum. Steele isn't alone as a player who could contribute right away. QB Collin Schlee spent the past three seasons at Kent State -- he announced his decision to transfer to UCLA on Dec. 17.

In 2022, Schlee was 157-of-266 (59 percent) for 2,109 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. He demonstrated good mobility with 98 carries for 489 yards and four touchdowns.

He could face stiff competition for the starting QB job from incoming freshman QB Dante Moore, a five-star recruit from Martin Luther King High School in Detroit.
 
This past season, the Bruins were led by the talented duo of QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and RB Zach Charbonnet.

Thompson-Robinson was 265-of-381 (69.6 percent) for 3,153 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this past season. On Dec. 2, 2022, he agreed to play in the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl for graduating NFL draft prospects.

Charbonnet hasn't made his draft decision yet but was held out of the team's Sun Bowl appearance, which could be an indicator of which way he's leaning. This past season, he had 195 carries, 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns.

He has one year of eligibility remaining, but Steele's decision means Charbonnet won't leave UCLA hanging out to dry by declaring for the draft.

UCLA is an enticing destination, and it’s easy to understand what makes it so attractive. Steele will have a much bigger platform to bolster his NFL stock with the move to a Power Five conference. 

Plus, it's impossible to pass up an opportunity to face a Lincoln Riley defense.