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<\/a><\/p>\nA self-described \u201clate bloomer,\u201d Kpehe didn\u2019t first put on the pads until Grade 10 at London South Collegiate Institute. He was approached by coaches Mike Stenning and Matt Snyder, who encouraged him to try it out. His older brother, Richard, had already begun playing, and they recognized Steven\u2019s speed on the track. Why not give it a shot?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Starting on the junior varsity team, Kpehe played wide receiver at first. That experiment didn\u2019t last long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was this play I had called jumper, and I caught zero of these jumper balls. I didn\u2019t catch a single pass as a wide receiver on maybe eight targets. Bricks for hands. It wasn\u2019t the best effort,\u201d Kpehe said with a laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After his short stint on offence, the junior varsity coaches \u2014 coach Gamble and coach Robinson \u2014 slotted him into the defence to see how he would fare there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His first action on defence, he remembers, came in a small preseason scrimmage against Clarke Road Secondary. The quarterbacks were not \u2018live,\u2019 meaning that they weren\u2019t supposed to be hit. No one had told Kpehe this (or, at least, he didn\u2019t remember). He broke through the line with a good move and levelled the quarterback. It was not the best start to his defensive career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first real game of the season also happened to be against Clarke Road, who now had a bit of a dislike towards Kpehe. The youngster struggled with offside calls as Clarke Road kept hard-counting him, making him jump early.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But there were positives in the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended up having one or two sacks, a couple [tackles for losses], so I was still making plays, though I was costing [the team] a lot of yards. They still left me out there, so that was fun,\u201d Kpehe said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The following year, Grade 11, meant senior ball, a new level for Kpehe, and one he knew he had to earn his spot.\u00a0Though still new to the game, Kpehe never lost faith in himself. He credits a lot of that to his defensive coordinator, coach Dave Martin, who always saw something in the youngster even when his technique may not have been the best.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Halfway through his first year of senior ball, he finally got his chance to play more, and he showed great improvement. In his final year, he started every game and showed so much potential that he got the attention of some university football programs.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steven-Kpehe-profile-2-James-Paddle-Grant-1024x720.jpg\")
(Photo: James Paddle-Grant\/Queen\u2019s Athletics).<\/p>\n
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London South has produced numerous football talents who have succeeded in both the CFL and NFL, none more notable than current NFL twin brothers Chase and Sydney Brown. Kpehe credits the school with making the transition to university football smooth due to their guidance \u2013 and their talent development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the time for recruitment came, and the schools started to roll in with interest, Kpehe had a decision to make.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was still running track, and still quite enjoyed track and field. But ultimately, it\u2019s that team aspect [of football], and that passion. You just didn\u2019t really get that camaraderie with track,\u201d Kpehe said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t like a bunch of guys all focused on a common goal. So, ultimately, I knew that was what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kpehe was all-in on football.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following his decision, he started attending some camps around the province. The options were plenty. There was Toronto. Western was always there, being in his home city. And Windsor, his first Canadian home, was also an option. But Queens stood above. He attended their prospect camp, winning defensive player of the day, and fell in love with Kingston and the Gaels\u2019 program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason I went to Queens is that Coach Snyder was the offensive coordinator for the Western Mustangs, and Coach Nesbitt was the recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach, and then the offensive coordinator at Queens, who recruited my brother to Guelph, so there were a couple of familiar faces on that team.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I really loved the environment and the team aspect and the camaraderie that was coming out of Queens,\u201d Kpehe added. \u201cI knew if I decided to go there, I was not only going to grow as a football player but also as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Similar to his high school start, his university career also got off to an inauspicious beginning. He\u2019d joined Queens as a linebacker, being a bit undersized at the time to be a defensive lineman, his natural position. But the linebacker experiment didn\u2019t last long. Kpehe recalls former first-team all-Canadian running back Rasheed Tucker burning him over and over again in practice.<\/p>\n
Following a meeting, Kpehe went to look at the depth chart for his name, but it was nowhere to be found under the linebacking corps. Within his first two weeks, Kpehe thought his collegiate career was over. Downtrodden, he headed down to the field anyway, and defensive lineman Jonah Davidson shouted out to him, welcoming him to the squad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kpehe was confused, but he soon realized he hadn\u2019t checked the defensive linemen chart, where he was now positioned. Even though it \u201cstung\u201d a bit having his position changed so early on, he quickly resettled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steven-Kpehe-profile-3-James-Paddle-Grant-1024x751.jpg\")
(Photo: James Paddle-Grant\/Queen\u2019s Athletics).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Queens d-line group, we called it \u2018Showtime.\u2019 That group was one of the most influential groups ever,\u201d Kpehe said. \u201cWhen I say close-knit, I mean everybody just wanted to see everybody win and succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than a few players from that group helped Kpehe along the way, but none more than the recently retired Calgary Stampeder Anthony Federico. After every practice, Federico helped Kpehe \u2013 even for just 10 minutes \u2013 to get better, living up to the Queens credo of getting 1% better each day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over his first few seasons with the Gaels, Kpehe didn\u2019t see the field much other than on special teams. But his coaches saw enough in him to put his name forward for the East-West Bowl last year. He earned an invite and competed in the showcase game, which gave him the confidence heading into his final season that if he could compete with the best of the best, he could stand out for Queens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kpehe did exactly that, posting his best season statistically in 2025, playing in all 12 games and producing 27 total tackles, four sacks for 30 yards, and one forced fumble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Queens also had a great season, winning their first Yates Cup since 2009.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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In his senior season, Kpehe also got to step into a larger leadership role on the team. That was very important for him because he wanted to have the same impact with a new set of Gaels that Federico had had on him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His leadership hadn\u2019t started there. Since high school, Kpehe has been heavily involved with diversity and inclusion initiatives and was one of South\u2019s founding members on their Diversity Council. He brought that passion to Kingston and was a voice for Black student-athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a role that I did not take lightly,\u201d Kpehe said. \u201cIt was so much fun to go share my two cents, give my advice and share tips and tricks on how we can bring the community together and how we can help Queens athletics become a more inclusive spot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kpehe also branched out into the Kingston community, seizing the opportunity to coach an under-12 football team called the Bayridge Ninja Turtles. It was an experience he says he\u2019ll never forget, not because of wins or a championship, but from seeing the love for football grow in the kids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With his Queens career all wrapped up, there were two more steps left for Kpehe if he wanted to hear his name called in the CFL draft this spring. First, he had to perform well enough at the CFL Invitational Combine to earn promotion to the National Combine in Edmonton \u2013 and then perform there as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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