University of Delaware Athletics
Football Adds UAB Transfer DE James Steel
1/9/2026 2:16:00 PM | Football
NEWARK, Del. – University of Delaware football has added UAB DE James Steel as a mid-year enrollee, head coach Ryan Carty announced Friday. Steel comes to UD after spending the 2025 season at UAB. The 6-4, 275-pound defensive end didn't see any action in his only season in Birmingham and will have four years of eligibility.
Hailing from Swedesboro, New Jersey, Steel is no stranger to the 302 having graduated from Caravel Academy in 2025 after a four-year career with the Buccaneers. At the time of graduation, Steel was a three-star recruit and the No. 2 player in Delaware according to 247sports. A three-year letterwinner, Steel started three seasons beginning his sophomore campaign and won a pair of DIAA state championships in 2023 and 2024. Individually, he won back-to-back DIAA Class 2A Defensive Player of the Year awards his junior and senior seasons on top of being a first team all-state selection those same years.
Born in Philadelphia, Pa., he is the son of James and Michelle Steel and has two brothers – Donald and Maximus. His father played football at Gardner Webb for two years and his mother played four years of basketball at Penn. At Delaware, he intends to major in health behavior science.
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