# List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career steals leaders

In basketball, a steal is the act of legally gaining possession of the ball by a defensive player who causes the opponent to turn the ball over. The top25 highest steals totals in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball history are listed below. The NCAA did not split into its current divisions format until August 1973. From 1906 to 1955, there were no classifications to the NCAA nor its predecessor, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). Then, from 1956 to spring 1973, colleges were classified as either "NCAA University Division (Major College)" or "NCAA College Division (Small College)". Steals are a relatively new statistic in college basketball, having only become an official statistic beginning with the 1985–86 season. Therefore, Robert Morris's Chipper Harris, who amassed 450 steals during his career between 1980 and 1984, is not officially recognized in the all-time ranks.
The all-time Division I steals leader is Jacob Gilyard of Richmond. He recorded 466 steals by utilizing an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Key

| Pos. | G | F | C | Ref. |
| Position | Guard | Forward | Center | References |
| ^ | Player still competing in NCAA Division I |
| * | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Team (X) | Denotes the number of times a player from that team is represented on this list |
| C | Player was active in the 2020–21 season, benefiting from the NCAA's blanket COVID-19 eligibility waiver |

## Top 25 career steals leaders

| Player | Pos. | Team | Career start | Career end | Games played | Steals |
| Jacob Gilyard$^C$ | G | Richmond | 2017 | 2022 | 154 | 466 |
| John Linehan | G | Providence | 1997 | 2002 | 122 | 385 |
| Eric Murdock | G | Providence (2) | 1987 | 1991 | 117 | 376 |
| Brianté Weber | G | VCU | 2011 | 2015 | 127 | 374 |
| Pepe Sánchez | G | Temple | 1996 | 2000 | 116 | 365 |
| Cookie Belcher | G | Nebraska | 1996 | 2001 | 131 | 353 |
| Kevin Braswell | G | Georgetown | 1998 | 2002 | 128 | 349 |
| Bonzi Wells | G | Ball State | 1994 | 1998 | 116 | 347 |
| Obie Trotter | G | Alabama A&M | 2002 | 2006 | 114 | 346 |
| Laquincy Rideau | G | Gardner–Webb / South Florida | 2015 | 2020 | 132 | 345 |
| Johnny Rhodes | G | Maryland | 1992 | 1996 | 122 | 344 |
| Gerald Walker | G | San Francisco | 1992 | 1996 | 111 | 344 |
| Ace Baldwin Jr.^$^C$ | G | VCU (2) / Penn State | 2020 | present | 143 | 342 |
| Devan Downey | G | Cincinnati / South Carolina | 2005 | 2010 | 128 | 342 |
| Michael Anderson | G | Drexel | 1984 | 1988 | 115 | 341 |
| Kenny Robertson | G | Cleveland State | 1986 | 1990 | 119 | 341 |
| Aaron Craft | G | Ohio State | 2010 | 2014 | 148 | 337 |
| Keith Jennings | G | East Tennessee State | 1987 | 1991 | 127 | 334 |
| Juan Dixon | G | Maryland (2) | 1998 | 2002 | 141 | 333 |
| Matisse Thybulle | G | Washington | 2015 | 2019 | 135 | 331 |
| Desmond Cambridge | G | Alabama A&M (2) | 1999 | 2002 | 84 | 330 |
| Jevon Carter | G | West Virginia | 2014 | 2018 | 144 | 330 |
| Greg Anthony | G | Portland / UNLV | 1987 | 1991 | 138 | 329 |
| Jason Hart | G | Syracuse | 1996 | 2000 | 132 | 329 |
| Quan Jackson$^C$ | G | Georgia Southern / UAB | 2017 | 2022 | 157 | 329 |