Chris Steele leaving UF: Details on decision by Gators’ top recruit
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Gatorsports
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May 9, 2019
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Florida Gators defensive back Chris Steele chases a runner during the annual Orange and Blue Spring Football Game on Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville on April 13. [Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun/File]
By Zach Abolverdi
Correspondent
Florida freshman cornerback Chris Steele is transferring from the school.
The former five-star recruit has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. Steele met with UF coach Dan Mullen on Wednesday night and informed him, a source close to the situation told The Sun.
The decision stems from a request Steele made to the staff during his first month on campus, the source said. He asked to be moved to a different dorm because he was uncomfortable rooming with quarterback Jalon Jones, his classmate.
The staff did not plan to move Steele until the summer, which upset Steele and his parents, according to the source.
Then two female students accused Jones of sexual assault at the players’ dorm on April 6. That prompted Steele to seek a transfer.
Jones has not been charged but has left the school.
Regarding Steele’s decision to transfer, the Florida football program had no official comment on Thursday.
Steele committed to the Gators at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 5 and enrolled early the following week. He received first-time reps in the spring and was expected to make an immediate impact this season.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Steele was the highest-rated recruit in UF’s 2019 class, earning a consensus top-50 ranking and a five-star rating from Rivals.com.
He was Florida’s first California signee since 2010, hailing from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif.