A Hawaii native who climbed from junior college to a starting safety job at Washington State and Ole Miss, Kapena Gushiken signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent.
Kapena Gushiken, nicknamed "Gush," took a long road to the NFL, starting as a lightly recruited prospect out of Pukalani, Hawaii, before working his way through junior college and two Power Conference programs. He signed with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 draft and will compete for a defensive backfield spot as a rookie.
Path to the league
Gushiken attended Kamehameha High School in Hawaii without drawing much recruiting attention, then spent two seasons at Saddleback College, where he earned All-National Division Southern League First Team honors and ranked as the 7th-rated JUCO cornerback in his class. He transferred to Washington State in 2023 and later moved on to Ole Miss for his final college season in 2025.
Career highlights
At Washington State, Gushiken appeared in 25 games with 16 starts across two seasons, racking up 88 tackles, three interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a defensive touchdown. His signature moment came in a 2023 game against UCLA, when he recorded three tackles, a sack, a pass breakup, and an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown in the same outing.
2025 season recap
Gushiken transferred to Ole Miss for the 2025 season and stepped into a starting role in the Rebels' secondary. He went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft but signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent shortly afterward, entering training camp as a rookie defensive back.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kapena Gushiken
- ESPN: Kapena Gushiken
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Cornerback
- Group
- defense
- College
- Ole Miss
- Hometown
- Pukalani, HI, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
