The tall defender was born in Wolverhampton but raised in Leicestershire and came up through the Foxes youth ranks into the first team. He was spotted playing for Harborough Town and penned his first professional deal with City in 2004 after winning the club's Young Player of the Year accolade in the 2003-04 campaign.

Stearman made his senior debut at the young age of 17, being part of the side that kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 stalemate with Cardiff City in October 2004. He went on to make eight appearances that season but became a first-team regular the following season, attracting interest of clubs such as Sunderland. The Black Cats had a bid turned down for Stearman, with then-manager Rob Kelly keen to hang on to the hot prospect.

He blossomed into a key part of the City defence and played for the club for two more seasons, culminating in winning both the Player of the Year gong and Players' Player of the Year award in 2007-08. But that season was to be his last for the Foxes, joining a number of players who left the Walkers Stadium following the club's relegation to League One. A popular player at City, Stearman moved to his hometown club Wolves on a four-year deal.

Stearman was a versatile defender, equally capable of playing at right-back or at centre-back, although Foxes fans believed his best performances came from the centre of defence.