Indiana Hoosiers Defensive MVP Mikail Kamara On Who He Molded His Game After & What He Wants To Improve Upon Entering The NFL

Indiana Hoosiers defensive end Mikail Kamara celebrating with the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy. (Set Number: X164821 TK1)

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Mikail Kamara may not have been a household name before, but he sure became one during the Indiana Hoosiers’ College Football Playoff National Championship win over the Miami Hurricanes.

Kamara didn’t exactly have a dominant season in 2025, posting just two sacks on the year. That was after a season in which he posted a team-leading 10 sacks in his first year with Indiana. For those that aren’t aware, Kamara was a part of the transfer class when head coach Curt Cignetti made the move from James Madison to Indiana.

However, Kamara came up in a major way with arguably the game’s biggest play when he blocked a Hurricanes punt that directly led to a touchdown to put the Hoosiers up 17-7 late in the third quarter.

“There was a punt before that, so I kind of got to the ball kind of slow – I wasn’t really trying to block,” said Kamara in a one-on-one interview of the play before. “I was just trying to be out there. I kind of realized my angle that I took, I was really close to blocking it. If get this opportunity again, I’m gonna shoot off the ball.

“We get to that situation, it was 4th-and-1 and I was keying the ball, timed the ball, timed up the step, and then I just jumped off the ball,” Kamara continued to say. “And then I kind of see his steps towards me, and I was just ready shot by shot. I felt the ball, it hit my hand, and then I was trying to sprint to go get it. I get the touchdown too, but Bones (Isaiah Jones) kind of landed on it. It was crazy.”

The senior defensive end was named the CFP Defensive Player of the Game as a result of his play in the biggest game of his career. It’s an accomplishment that will serve him well as he prepares for his NFL career.

The edge rusher is currently projected as a Day 3 pick going anywhere from rounds three through five. Kamara racked up 23.5 sacks in his four-year career and projects as a high-motor, undersized edge rusher who can specialize in sub packages.

Think of the 6-foot-1, 260-pound Kamara as another version of Elvis Dumervil, the 5-foot-11 edge rusher who was named to five Pro Bowls and led the NFL in sacks in 2009.

However, when asked who is one pass rusher he looked up to while growing up, Kamara names another former Denver Broncos star – Von Miller. Miller is still currently playing, having played last season for the Washington Commanders.

“Von Miller,” said Kamara of the player he looked up to most whole growing up. “My entire career, pretty much since I was a kid, I played running back, I played quarterback, and I played some receiver. I got to my junior year of high school and then my high school coach, we had someone that was going to come in from another school to play running back. My coach was like, ‘You can play running back here, but you probably won’t play a lot,’ and he kind of suggested for me to move positions. I decided to move to defensive end.

“As soon as I decided to move to defensive end, I started watching all Von Miller highlights, Von Miller games and tapes and anything,” Kamara continued to say. “I followed him on Instagram, any tips and tricks that he gave, I was listening to everything Von Miller said. Von has always been the reason why I really made this an art because of him.”

He names Miller and Aaron Donald as his two favorite all time players, but he has yet to meet either of them. If Miller decides to return for a 16th season next year, Kamara may have the opportunity to either team up with him or go against him in the NFL next season.

Kamara said some of the questions he would ask Miller includes how he gets off the ball so fast, how he takes care of his body and how much film he watches.

When asked if he knows where he’s projected to go in the draft, Kamara said he’s not sure yet as it’s not something he’s really talked about. He said his focus was on the football season and helping the Hoosiers win games.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t really been talking about that information,” said Kamara. “I just really wanted to stay focused on football. I didn’t really want any of the outside noise.”

The dynamic pass rusher mentions wanting to be healthier and improving his speed and quickness as key things for him entering the NFL.

“The biggest thing is just getting back healthy,” said Kamara. “I dealt with a couple injuries this year, dealt with a couple of knee injuries, shoulder injury. I just want to get healthy. I feel like as the season went on, I started to actually get a little bit healthier, especially throughout the playoffs. That’s when I played the best. Getting healthy is number one.

“Outside of that, I think the next thing I want to improve on is just my overall speed and quickness,” Kamara continued to say. “I feel like there’s a couple plays that I left on the table, just concerning speed, just getting a little bit faster to change quarterback hits and making those sacks and changing QB pressures into sacks, and then tighten my bend.”

The 22-year-old said he’s used to being one of the older guys looking out for the younger guys. As he enters the NFL, Kamara said he’s looking forward to learning the ropes from an established veteran.

“I just want to learn the game more and more and more,” said Kamara. “That’s something that I’m probably the most excited about. As far as the NFL is, hopefully I can kind of get under the wings of a veteran who can teach me the game from their point of view. Hopefully it’s someone that has a similar play style as me. I just really feel like I’ve always been the older guy that looks out for the younger guys. I definitely just want someone to teach me the ropes and teach me some of the small nuances.”