{{short description|American football player (born 2001)}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Mikail Kamara | image = 2026-0119 NCG postgame Mikail Kamara.jpeg | alt = | caption = Kamara after the 2026 CFP Championship, where he was named Defensive Player of the Game. | current_team = San Francisco 49ers | number = | position = Defensive end | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|10|9}}<ref name=birthday>{{cite tweet|user=Mikail_kamara6|number=1182146343625744384|title=Blessed to see 18 yrs 🤗👏🏾|access-date=February 22, 2026}}</ref> | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 1 | weight_lb = 250 | high_school = Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Virginia) | college = *James Madison (2020–2023) *Indiana (2024–2025) | undraftedyear = 2026 | pastteams = * San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|2026}}–present) | status = Active | highlights = * CFP national champion (2025) * CFP Defensive Player of the Game (2025) * Third-team All-American (2024) * First-team All-Big Ten (2024) * Second team All-Sun Belt (2023) | statseason = | statweek = | statlabel1 = | statvalue1 = | statlabel2 = | statvalue2 = | espn = 4696051 | pfr = KamaMi00 }}
'''Mikail Kamara''' (born October 9, 2001)<ref name=birthday /> is an American professional football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). Kamara won a national championship in 2026 and was selected as the game's defensive MVP. He previously played for the James Madison Dukes and the Indiana Hoosiers.
==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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dnronline.com/sports/college/field-notes-dukes-have-freshmen-who-could-play/article_21c1c898-c46f-5edd-ba38-3df58c8a4b2b.html|title=FIELD NOTES: Dukes Have Freshmen Who Could Play|first=GREG MADIA Daily|last=News-Record|date=February 15, 2021|website=Daily News-Record}}</ref> Kamara committed to James Madison University to play college football.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dnronline.com/sports/college/live-blog-national-signing-day-at-jmu/article_1627f87f-eba1-563f-a54e-483cfd9e98b2.html|title=LIVE BLOG: National Signing Day At JMU|first=GREG MADIA Daily|last=News-Record|date=February 5, 2020|website=Daily News-Record}}</ref>
==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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Epps Jr. |first=Wayne |date=August 15, 2022 |title=JMU defensive end Mikail Kamara ready for return to game action, better than before |url=https://richmond.com/sports/college/jmu-defensive-end-mikail-kamara-ready-for-return-to-game-action-better-than-before/article_753c99cc-1cb9-11ed-850c-dfbf6df1fc52.html |access-date=February 7, 2026 |website=Richmond Times-Dispatch}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2023/12/19/indiana-football-james-madison-mikail-kamara-transfer-portal-curt-cignetti-iu-hoosiers/71977093007/|title=IU football gets James Madison defensive lineman Mikail Kamara in transfer portal|first=Evan|last=Frank|website=The Indianapolis Star|date=19 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2024/08/24/iu-football-transfer-pass-rusher-mikail-kamara-a-difference-maker-indiana-hoosiers-jmu-transfer/74917967007/|title='I'm a zero star.' How JMU transfer Mikail Kamara evolved into pass rusher IU craves.|first=Michael|last=Niziolek|website=The Indianapolis Star|date=24 August 2024}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/sports/college/iu/2024/09/11/indiana-football-ucla-rat-poison-nick-saban-curt-cignetti-western-illinois-single-game-records/75139558007/|title='That's kind of poison': IU football defender channels Nick Saban as team preps for UCLA|first=Michael|last=Niziolek|website=The Herald-Times|date=11 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Ankony | first=Jack | title=How To Watch Indiana Football Against Michigan State in Week 10 | website=Indiana Hoosiers On SI | date=2024-11-01 | url=https://www.si.com/college/indiana/football/how-to-watch-indiana-football-against-michigan-state-in-week-10-peacock-01jbhc6fzkt8 | access-date=2026-02-07}}</ref> In 2025 Kamara started in all sixteen games of the Hoosiers' undefeated season and led the Big Ten Conference in total quarterback pressures with 59<ref>{{Cite web |last=Niziolek |first=Michael |title=Indiana football's DE Mikail Kamara signing with 49ers as UDFA |url=https://www.courierpress.com/story/sports/college/iu/2026/04/25/mikail-kamara-indiana-football-udfa-san-francisco-49ers/89686813007/ |access-date=2026-04-28 |website=Courier & Press |language=en-US}}</ref>. Kamara was named the defensive MVP of the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship after blocking a punt in the third quarter that was quickly recovered by teammate Isaiah Jones.
==Professional career== {{NFL predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 0 5/8 | weight = 250 | dash = 4.93 | ten split = 1.70 | twenty split = 2.86 | shuttle = 4.75 | vertical = 34.0 | broad ft = 9 | broad in = 1 | arm span = 31 3/8 | hand span = 9 5/8 | wingspan ft = 6 | wingspan in = 5 1/8 | note = All values from Pro Day<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1052842&DraftYear=2026 |title=Mikail Kamara College Football Profile |website=DraftScout.com |access-date=April 10, 2026}}</ref> }} After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft, Kamara signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent.<ref>{{cite web |title=49ers Agree to Terms with Undrafted Rookie Free Agents |url=https://www.49ers.com/news/49ers-agree-to-terms-with-undrafted-rookie-free-agents |website=49ers.com |access-date=27 April 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=49ers Sign Six Draft Picks, Seven Undrafted Rookie Free Agents|url=https://www.49ers.com/news/49ers-sign-six-draft-picks-seven-undrafted-rookie-free-agents|website=49ers.com|date=May 8, 2026|access-date=May 8, 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://jmusports.com/sports/football/roster/mikail-kamara/18931 James Madison Dukes bio] *[https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/football/roster/mikail-kamara/18659 Indiana Hoosiers bio]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamara, Mikail}} Category:2001 births Category:Living people Category:Players of American football from Ashburn, Virginia Category:American football defensive ends Category:James Madison Dukes football players Category:Indiana Hoosiers football players Category:San Francisco 49ers players