Bayne, Brannagen, Rutka; these are some of the quarterbacks in Queen’s history that were able to deliver national titles. Vreeken is looking to add his name to that list.
Alex Vreeken, a kinesiology student, is the starting quarterback for the Queen’s Gaels. Last season, he capped off his campaign with 1,046 passing yards on 76 completions, delivering six touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. Vreeken also averaged 209.2 passing yards per game last season, which placed him in the top 15 among quarterbacks across U SPORTS. Those numbers came in just five games, with an injury ending his season early just as he was finding his groove.
The Kingston native is entering his 5th season in the tricolour and his 4th year of eligibility. Unfortunately, Vreeken has struggled with injuries during his career. He missed almost the entirety of the 2021 season, and only played in about half of the teams total regular season games from 2023-24. But that hasn’t stopped Vreeken from having a successful career.
With an already impressive list of accolades — including a spot in the CFL Quarterback Internship class of 2025, participating in the CFL Mentorship Program in 2023, and an appearance in the U SPORTS East-West Bowl this past offseason — Vreeken has established himself as a top quarterback in the OUA. But the accolades only tell a portion of the story.
OB.SESSED had the opportunity to speak with Vreeken about the upcoming season, personal goals, and quarterbacks he’s admired and tried to emulate.
Here’s what he had to say.
Growing up, were there any QBs you looked up to and tried to model your game after?
Vreeken: Yes, I didn’t start playing football until a bit later, I was more focused on basketball when I was younger, but there was a quarterback that played at my high school named Brendan Steele, who ended up coming to play at Queen’s. When I was in Grade 9, he was in Grade 12 or 13, we trained together a little bit. So I definitely looked up to him. I looked up to Nate Hobbs because I was out there training at Queen’s training camp a bit. I was able to catch for him and do some indy with him. Marshall Ferguson, he played at McMaster, but he went to my high school as well. Adam Archibald also played at McMaster, he went to my high school as well. So yeah, my high school was loaded with quarterback talent and I was able to kind of learn from those guys and follow them a bit.
After taking part in the CFL QB internship program this year, and the CFL mentorship program in 2023 — what is your biggest takeaway and how do you plan to use that knowledge with the Gaels this year?
Vreeken: I think the CFL game and the U SPORTS game are pretty different, just like how offenses kind of attack and stuff like that. So I definitely learned stuff system wise. And I definitely learned a lot from the quarterbacks and how they process information. But I would also just say listening to how the receivers and quarterbacks and running backs all communicated in meetings, and how quarterbacks explained how they want receivers to run routes and how their concepts are attacking defenses is definitely is something I'm going to bring back to just add to our narrative in our meetings and stuff like explaining from a quarterback's perspective how they want plays to be run. Just open up the overall knowledge from our receiving core.
As a leader of the Gaels, what is one goal you have for yourself, as well as the team, for this upcoming season?
Vreeken: I think a goal for myself is just to do everything I can and leave nothing on the field essentially. Just play as hard as I can every single game and enjoy playing with my teammates. I've had a couple injuries in the last few years and I just don't want to take anything for granted. I'm just excited to play with my teammates again. And then our team goal is to win a national championship, finish the season with a bunch of trophies. It's the goal every single year and I think this year feels a lot different. We have different chemistry in the team. We've been training harder than ever. So yeah, that's kind of the goal.
Heading into your 5th year, how has your game developed since you first put on the Tricolour?
Vreeken: Well, I was 185 pounds soaking wet back then, so definitely, like, changed physically. But I think just my overall understanding of our offense, and we've kind of changed things towards my strength, And then also just understanding the players I'm playing with and how to get the most out of everyone. Back then, I was a younger guy. And as much as you're a leader as a quarterback when you're a young player, sometimes you're following the older guys on your offense. Whereas now, I'm an older guy and yeah, I'm gonna do everything I can to get the best out of all my teammates.
The Gaels open their season against the Western Mustangs on Aug. 23 in Kingston. The last time the two teams matched up at Richardson Stadium, the Mustangs secured the victory in the dying seconds, followed by the iconic “no!” heard around the world.
You would have to go back more than a decade to find the last time the Gaels defeated the Mustangs. On Sept. 15, 2012, the Gaels were victorious against their rivals at Richardson with a final score of 18-11. Since then, Western has dominated the rivalry, boasting an impressive 14-0 record against the Gaels.
“We’ve got a huge game week one, we need everyone from Kingston to come out.” says Vreeken. “Last time we played the Mustangs at Queen’s, it was a bit of a barn burner. I would encourage everyone to come out and support.”
For Vreeken and the Gaels, a Week One win over powerhouse Western would set the tone for a championship push.