WKU Career | 15/0: Stepp played in 15 games for WKU over two seasons, adding depth in the running backs room. During that time, he rushed for 476 yards and three touchdowns on 97 carries. He also had seven receptions for 73 yards over two seasons with the program.
2023 (r-Sr.) | 11/0: Stepp appeared in 11 games at running back for the Hilltoppers during the 2023 season. He tallied 310 yards and three touchdowns on 69 attempts, and added 73 yards on seven receptions. Stepp had his best performance as a Hilltopper in the team's win at Louisiana Tech on Oct. 5, rushing seven times for 76 yards and a touchdown – all of which were career highs for him at WKU. Stepp had multiple receptions in two games.
2022 (r-Jr.) | 4/0: Stepp played in just four games late in the year due to injury. He carried the ball 28 times for 166 yards, including a season-high 64 yards against Rice. Stepp also recorded 63 yards in WKU's 44-23 victory over South Alabama in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
Before WKU: Stepp played at Nebraska and USC before transferring to The Hill. Stepp played in seven games with two starts in his first season at Nebraska in 2021. He rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries. Stepp played in five of USC’s six games in 2020, rushing 45 times for 165 yards and three touchdowns, while adding three receptions. Stepp played in seven games in 2019 before being injured. Stepp appeared in four games in 2018, allowing him to redshirt. He totaled seven carries for 33 yards, with a season-high 23 yards on five carries against Notre Dame.
HS/Misc: Stepp earned 2017 PrepStar All-America honors at Cathedral High in Indianapolis. He also earned Indianapolis Star All-Central and All-City accolades and made the Indiana Super Team. Stepp rushed for 975 yards and 17 touchdowns, while averaging nearly eight yards per carry as a senior. Stepp missed most of his junior season with an injury. As a sophomore he ran for 888 yards on 104 carries with 12 touchdowns. Markese is the son of Marcus and Uyvette Stepp, and he was born on Feb. 11, 2000. Stepp’s father, Marcus, played football at Miami (Ohio) in 1994 and 1995. His brother, Marcus Jr., was an outside linebacker at St. Francis (Ind.) from 2015 to 2018, winning NAIA championships in 2016 and 2017.
