Phil Steele

{{short description|American sportswriter and analyst}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}

File:Copies of Phil Steele's 2010 College Football Preview.JPG in San Francisco, California.]]

Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media.{{Cite web |last=Dufresne |first=Chris |date=2009-08-06 |title=Top contenders according to schedules |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-06-sp-college-football6-story.html |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} His company, Phil Steele Publications, produces the annual preseason magazine Phil Steele's College Football Preview, which he personally writes in almost its entirety.Clay Whittington, [http://www.dailytexanonline.com/sports/phil-steele-magazine-benefits-football-fans-1.956292 Phil Steele magazine benefits football fans]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, The Daily Texan, July 27, 2007. The first edition was published in 1995.{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Kevin |date=2009-08-31 |title=Phil Steele's 2009 College Football Strength of Schedule Rankings |url=https://fbschedules.com/phil-steele-2009-college-football-strength-of-schedule-rankings/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=FBSchedules.com |language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Forde |first=Pat |date=2007-07-02 |title=Forde: Mags to the max |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&sportCat=ncf&id=2923115 |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}

The magazine was similarly praised by the News & Observer and Rivals.com.J.P. Giglio, [http://blogsarchive.newsobserver.com/accnow/index.php?title=phil_says&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 ACC Now: Phil's forecast: FSU, VT, Pack looking good]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, News & Observer, July 17, 2007.[http://floridastate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=686504 Preseason magazine reviews: Phil Steele's 2007 Football Preview], Rivals.com, June 26, 2007. 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.Alan Dell, [http://www.philsteele.com/online/USFBullsEYE.pdf Phile Steele: USF is a title contender] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105074617/http://www.philsteele.com/online/USFBullsEYE.pdf |date=January 5, 2010 }} (PDF), USFBullsEye.com, Rivals.com, 2007.[http://preseason.stassen.com/prediction-accuracy/2009-10yr.html Preseason Prediction Accuracy (1993-2008)], Stassen.com, retrieved August 5, 2009. 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.[http://www.philsteele.com/awards/awards.html Awards], Phil Steele.com, retrieved August 5, 2009.[http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/awards/allamerica/index.html All-America], Football Writers Association of American, retrieved August 5, 2009.