At 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds with rare quickness for a big man, Jordan Steele has been drawing attention from college coaches and making the rounds at prestigious football camps since his middle school days.

Steele, now a junior at Harlan County High School, has been especially busy this summer, beginning with the MVP Camp in June in Atlanta, where he was selected to the all-star team as one of the top five offensive linemen. He then headed to Rock Hill, South Carolina, in July where he was again selected among the best offensive linemen at the camp while earning an invitation to an elite camp in January in San Antonio, Texas.

“The coaches are former NFL and college coaches who really help you with your technique,” Steele said of his experiences at the camps. “They train you like a college coach would.”

After a year at the Pace Academy near Atlanta as a freshman, Steele returned to Harlan County last season and made an immediate impact with the Black Bears as an offensive tackle and defensive tackle. He earned all-district and honorable mention all-state honors despite getting a late start on the season following his transfer from Georgia.

“Jordan Steele, as far as talent, feet, physicalness, aggressiveness and IQ, he’s right there with them all,” Creech said. “His obstacle, as he moves forward, is really hitting the weight room and getting his body where it’s never out of shape. We’ll push him to get his body in shape over the next couple of years.”

Kentucky, Mississippi State, Louisville and Western Kentucky University are among the schools to contact Steele so far, but he expects the process to heat up this year, especially in the spring going into this senior season.

“I know next summer will be busy for me,” he said. “I hope I will get some offers then. The colleges will be looking at next year’s seniors. That’s my goal – to play Division I football.”

“I think he will project as a center on the next level,” Creech said. “They look at height on the next level. He’s an aggressive kid. He stepped into the role last year as an emotional leader, both on offense and defense. He would get a sack or strip fumble at key times, and the kids would really feed off his energy on the field.”

Steele is excited about the Bears’ chances this season, especially with so many of his teammates from the state championship New Harlan middle school team now playing key roles at HCHS.

“It was comfortable coming back and playing with my friends,” Steele said of his return last year. “The chemistry was still there. It was a lot of fun. We won the district and had a great second half. We have a great group coming in, including a couple of freshmen who could help us. I think this is a great team that could win the district and region again.”