DeShaun Foster Reacts to Former UCLA Football Star Making NFL Roster

Foster coached him last season.

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Former UCLA football running back Carson Steele has made the Kansas City Chiefs' roster following a strong training camp and preseason debut. Steele, who spent the 2023 season with the Bruins, officially made the Chiefs' 53-man roster on Tuesday.

UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster, who was Steele's running back coach a season ago, reacted to the news on social media, "Man of Steele."

Man of Steele https://t.co/1z4pZLmAyl

— DeShaun Foster (@DeShaunFoster26) August 28, 2024

Steele is just the latest former Bruins running back to make it in the NFL, after players like Zach Charbonnet, Joshua Kelly, and Foster all were part of the league.

Steele went undrafted out of UCLA, and signed with the Chiefs after the draft. During the preseason, Steele carried the ball 11 times for 87 yards and a touchdown. His performance was highlighted by a 32-yard touchdown run last week in which Steele stiff-armed his way to the end zone.

On a day of players getting cut, here’s a fun story of one guy who made it: RB/FB Carson Steele is on the #Chiefs’ initial 53-man roster, thanks to a preseason with plays like this. pic.twitter.com/yWUL2VBnNN

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 27, 2024

"We'll evaluate him. He looked good tonight, [and he's] a physical kid," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of Steele last week, via Chiefs.com's Matt McMullen. "I know the guys were excited when he was carrying it, but we'll see. He's a good football player though. It didn't really look like they wanted to tackle him. That's a plus if you're a running back."

Before he went to the NFL, Steele finished as UCLA's leading rusher a season ago. In 2023, Steele carried the ball 167 times for 847 yards and six touchdowns, rushing at an average of 5.1 yards per carry as he split time in the backfield with T.J. Harden. He saw his best games in back-to-back weeks against Washington State and Oregon, rushing for over 100 yards in each of those two game.

Steele also spent two seasons at Ball State prior to arriving in Westwood. As a sophomore at Ball State, Steele rushed for 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He went for over 100 yards in nine of his 12 games, and finished the season ninth in college season in rushing yards. He finished his career with Cardinals having rushed 481 times for a total of 2,447 yards and 20 touchdowns.