Mikail Kamara
American football player (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mikail Kamara (born October 9, 2001)[1] is an American college football defensive end for the Indiana Hoosiers. Kamara won a national championship in 2026 and was selected as the game's defensive MVP. He previously played for the James Madison Dukes.
Kamara after the 2026 CFP Championship, where he was named Defensive Player of the Game. | |
| No. 6 – Indiana Hoosiers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 9, 2001[1] |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Virginia) |
| College |
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| Awards and highlights | |
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| Stats at ESPN | |
Early life
Kamara attended Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia. He had 16 sacks his junior year and 15 his senior year. He was named the Region 5C Defensive Player of the Year his senior season.[2] Kamara committed to James Madison University to play college football.[3]
College career
As a freshman at James Madison in 2020, Kamara started all six games in the COVID-19 shortened season, and recorded 16 tackles and three sacks. After missing the 2021 season due to injury and redshirting, he played in five games in 2022 and had 14 tackles and four sacks.[4] In 2023, he started all 12 games and finished with 52 tackles and 6.5 sacks. After JMU's head coach, Curt Cignetti, was hired by the Indiana Hoosiers, Kamara entered the transfer portal and followed his coach to Indiana.[5][6] He was a starter his first year at Indiana in 2024, and recorded 10.0 sacks, which helped him earn 1st Team All-Big Ten and 3rd Team All-American honors.[7][8]