Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. [1] He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. [2] His company, Phil Steele Publications, produces the annual preseason magazine Phil Steele's College Football Preview, which he personally writes in almost its entirety. [3] The first edition was published in 1995. [4] In a comparison of the major preseason college football magazines, ESPN writer Pat Forde said:
All the mags have their merits . . . But Phil Steele owns the genre . . . The 46-year-old uses a cookie-cutter layout for every team, and his writing will never be nominated for a Pulitzer. But he does author every two-page team preview himself, and he crams stats, facts and figures into every nook and cranny. [1]
The magazine was similarly praised by the News & Observer and Rivals.com. [5] [6] Chris Stassen, owner of football.stassen.com, has tracked the preseason magazines' accuracy since 1993 and rates Phil Steele's as the most accurate in its predictions. [7] [8] Phil is currently a full-time employee of ESPN writing articles for ESPN+ and appearing on SportsCenter . He continues to produce the "Bible of College Football" which is the Phil Steele College Football preview that is now in its 25th year.
Steele has been a member of the All-America, John Mackey Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Lombardi Award, and the Ted Hendricks Award voting committees. [9] [10]
Lawrence Christopher Jackson is a former American football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at USC.
The 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 113th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his ninth season as head coach. They played their homes games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a charter member of the Big 12 Conference.
The 2007 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.
The 2008 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
The 2009 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland during its 57th season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Terrapins played in the Atlantic Division of the conference, and competed against all five divisional opponents, two Coastal Division opponents on a rotational basis, and one permanent cross-divisional rival: Virginia. The rotating Coastal Division opponents were Virginia Tech and Duke. In 2009, Maryland played its second game of the home-to-home series against California, this year in Berkeley.
The 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Joe Paterno and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State had the highest graduation rate among all of the teams on the Associated Press Top 25 poll with 89% of its 2002 enrollees graduating. Miami and Alabama tied for second place with a graduation rate of 75%. The Nittany Lions finished the season with an 11–2 record and won the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy award to the best team in the ECAC for the 28th time and the second consecutive year.
Greg Romeus is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played as a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers at the University of Pittsburgh. Romeus played football for just one year before entering college. During high school, he was considered a top college prospect in basketball.
William Rodney Hudson is an American football center who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State, and was a two-time All-American. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He also played for the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.
The 2010 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 65th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by third-year head football coach Kevin Sumlin, and played its home games at Robertson Stadium—a 32,000-seat stadium on campus in Houston. The program is a member of Conference USA in its West Division. Although ranked favorably early in the season, the team finished with a 5–7 record, after season-ending injuries to starting quarterback Case Keenum and other key players.
The 2010 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Terrapins' 58th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and its sixth within the ACC's Atlantic Division. They played their home games at Byrd Stadium and were led by head coach Ralph Friedgen. Maryland finished the season 9–4 overall and 5–3 in ACC play. The Terrapins were invited to the Military Bowl, where they defeated East Carolina, 51–20.
The 2011 Houston Cougars football team represented the University of Houston in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 66th year of season play for Houston. The program was a member of Conference USA in its West Division.
Brandon Kaufman is a former American and Canadian football wide receiver, and Australian rules football player.
The 2013 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represented the University of Delaware as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) during the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Dave Brock, the Fightin' Blue Hens compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for fifth in the CAA. The team played home games at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware.
Carl Thomas Bradford is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Arizona State, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL; the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL; the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF; and the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.
James David Andrews is an American football center for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs. His uncle was former Dallas Cowboys player, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Reeves.
The 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This was the Crimson Tide's 126th overall season, 87th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and 29th within the SEC Western Division. They played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and were led by 14th-year head coach Nick Saban.
Samuel Joseph LaPorta is an American football tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was named the Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year in 2022. He was selected by the Lions in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. With the Lions, he broke the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end. He also broke franchise records for receiving touchdowns by a rookie, and receiving yards and receptions by a rookie tight end.
Anders Bjorn Carlson is an American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn. As a placekicker, he has been recognized as both a high school and collegiate All-American, as well as an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) First Team and Lou Groza Award semifinalist selection.
The 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season marked the Crimson Tide's 129th overall season, 90th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and 32nd and final season within the SEC Western Division, with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC on July 1, 2024. They played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and were led by Nick Saban in his 17th and last season as head coach.
Bumper James Morris Pool is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Arkansas and he is the school's leader in all-time tackles with 441.