On Wednesday, December 20th at CEGEP Notre Dame de Foy outside of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, Steve Mboumoua made a life changing announcement, committing, and signing to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football program. While Mboumoua states, “this has been all a part of my plans”, it is without question that this announcement took the province of Quebec, as well as the entire country of Canada by storm. Mboumoua marks just the third Canadian to step foot on the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, being among both John Metchie III and Isaiah Hastings of the general Toronto area, but he also becomes the first from Quebec. In an interview with JZ Media’s Jordan Zlomislic, Mboumoua touched on the history he making with his announcement. He highlighted that “it adds pressure that I work hard and do good for those following in my footsteps and watching around the country (of Canada).“
Steve Mboumoua’s history, becoming the first football player from Quebec to suit up in crimson and white, wasn’t made overnight. It took years of preparation on and off of the football field for Mboumoua, beginning all the way in Cameroon where he had been born and raised until the age of 12 years old when he moved to Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. It was in Lac-Mégantic where he was later introduced to the game of football following a soccer career in Cameroon where earned himself the nickname “Le Chacal” meaning “The Jackal” in English, which he still often called by to this day.
He was introduced to the game of football by his gym teacher and high school football coach Yannick Thibault at Montignac high school in Lac-Mégantic. At Montignac, Mboumoua displayed his raw talents and skills within the game, playing a versatile role on both sides of the football, leading to his next stop at CEGEP Notre Dame de Foy.
In Quebec, students finish high school in grade 11, and have the option to enrol into what they call “CEGEP”, a pre-university program. There are several CEGEP’s across the province of Quebec, offering a variety of academic programs as well as post-secondary athletic opportunities. Once Steve had finished high school, he chose to go to CEGEP at Notre Dame de Foy. At CEGEP Notre Dame de Foy, or CNDF, he played for head coach Marc-André Dion, where he had seen major growth on the football field in all aspects. He called his time there “a blessing.” “I went through a big transition with football there” he said, “I learned a lot and improved into a better football player during my time at CNDF.”
During his time at CNDF, not only did Mboumoua improve into a better football player and have success at the CEGEP level, totalling 52 tackles, and nine sacks in 2022, but he also prepared himself for the next step of his football career; the collegiate level.
“Some of my friends and I had created a plan, and my plan included getting an offer from Alabama,” Mboumoua described that his dream was to play football at the NCAA Division 1 level. That dream for Mboumoua, coming from Quebec, Canada, didn’t always seem possible. Impossible or not though, he worked his tail off, preparing himself so that, simply, if the time came, he would be ready for it.
It didn’t take long for that to come to fruition.
Jean Guillaume, a football coach and mentor of many young athletes in both Ontario and Quebec, Canada teamed up with Marc-André Dion and the staff at CNDF to turn Steve Mboumoua’s dreams a reality. This included a road trip in June of 2023 which evidently changed Mboumoua’s life.
Mboumoua, his coaches, his teammate Thomas Gosselin and class of 2025 athlete Justin Rowe of Ottawa had taken part in camps and visits all across the SEC over one week, seeing the campuses and camping at the University of Tennessee, Mississippi State University, Auburn University, and of course the University of Alabama. This trip had followed one that he and some other athletes took a few weeks previous at Wayne State in Detroit, Michigan for a mega camp. Following the mega camp, and heading into the SEC road trip Mboumoua had 8 collegiate offers from those of the likes of Boston College, Penn State, Arizona State, Minnesota, Memphis, USF, East Carolina, and Liberty.
While these 8 offers were much more than he had ever expected going into his football career, his job wasn’t finished. This road trip gave him that opportunity though to finish the job and complete his plan, getting the offer from Nick Saban and the University of Alabama.
“It was the opportunity I was waiting for all my life,” Mboumoua explained, “we worked hard to prepare for when the time would come, so when the time came, and we went to the Universities and met coaches I just did what I had to do.”
For Mboumoua, some of these camps were eye-openers. It was among some the first times he competed across the border, but it’s safe to say it didn’t take long for him to get adjusted. After earning himself an offer from Mississippi State University at their camp, he was granted the opportunity he’d been working towards, showcasing his talents in front of Nick Saban.
In front of Nick Saban and the Alabama coaching staff at Nick Saban’s Football Camp in Tuscaloosa, Steve Mboumoua dominated. He didn’t lose a single rep, and even put multiple offensive linemen on their backs, plowing through them. Saban asked to meet him in his office after the camp, and after getting to know Steve, just a couple of days later he had his offer from the University of Alabama, turning his dream into a reality, and completing his plan.
After receiving the offer from the Crimson Tide, he was bombarded with offers from rival SEC schools such as Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Auburn and Missouri. On his signing day he had 17 total offers, only taking one, from the University of Alabama.
Signing to the Crimson Tide, completing his plan that he had drawn up, was a “rewarding experience” Mboumoua said. “When I made my plan, I followed it. I worked out, morning and night. I never stopped believing. When there were times where it was hard to believe, I just kept working and kept my goal in mind.”
Now that Mboumoua has achieved his dream and goal of getting an offer, and signing to the University of Alabama, his focus has shifted.
He now has all eyes on proving himself both in the class room and on the football field at the University of Alabama, and he hints at the idea of using the platform he has, with the Crimson Tide to build his own brand around his name, image and likeness behind the nickname “Le Chacal”.
JZ MEDIA 