Mikail Kamara
 Kamara after the 2026 CFP Championship, where he was named Defensive Player of the Game. | |
| No. 59 â San Francisco 49ers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Roster status |  Injured reserve |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 9, 2001[1] Ashburn, Virginia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6Â ft 1Â in (1.85Â m) |
| Listed weight | 250Â lb (113Â kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Virginia) |
| College |
|
| NFL draft | 2026: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Mikail Kamara (born October 9, 2001)[1] 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
[edit]Kamara was born on October 9, 2001 in Ashburn, Virginia.[2] Kamara attended Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn where 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.[3] Kamara committed to James Madison University to play college football.[4] His father is originally from Sierra Leone.[5]
College career
[edit]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.[6] 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.[7][8] 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.[9][10] 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.[11] 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
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6Â ft 0+5â8Â in (1.84Â m) | 250Â lb (113Â kg) | 31+3â8Â in (0.80Â m) | 9+5â8Â in (0.24Â m) | 6Â ft 5+1â8Â in (1.96Â m) | 4.93 s | 1.70 s | 2.86 s | 4.75 s | 34.0Â in (0.86Â m) | 9Â ft 1Â in (2.77Â m) | ||
| All values from Pro Day[12] | ||||||||||||
After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft, Kamara signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent.[13][14] On August 2, 2026, Kamara was waived by the 49ers with an injury designation after suffering a torn ACL during training camp.[15] He then returned to the 49ers injured reserve after he cleared waivers.[16]
References
[edit]- 1 2 @Mikail_kamara6 (October 10, 2019). "Blessed to see 18 yrs đ¤đđž" (Tweet). Retrieved February 22, 2026 â via Twitter.
- â "Mikail Kamara (DE): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.49ers.com. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- â GREG MADIA (February 15, 2021). "FIELD NOTES: Dukes Have Freshmen Who Could Play". Daily News-Record.
- â GREG MADIA (February 5, 2020). "LIVE BLOG: National Signing Day At JMU". Daily News-Record.
- â Brugler, Dane. "Mikail Kamara - The Beast 2026". The New York Times. ISSNÂ 0362-4331. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
- â Epps Jr., Wayne (August 15, 2022). "JMU defensive end Mikail Kamara ready for return to game action, better than before". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- â Frank, Evan (December 19, 2023). "IU football gets James Madison defensive lineman Mikail Kamara in transfer portal". The Indianapolis Star.
- â Niziolek, Michael (August 24, 2024). "'I'm a zero star.' How JMU transfer Mikail Kamara evolved into pass rusher IU craves". The Indianapolis Star.
- â Niziolek, Michael (September 11, 2024). "'That's kind of poison': IU football defender channels Nick Saban as team preps for UCLA". The Herald-Times.
- â Ankony, Jack (November 1, 2024). "How To Watch Indiana Football Against Michigan State in Week 10". Indiana Hoosiers On SI. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- â Niziolek, Michael. "Indiana football's DE Mikail Kamara signing with 49ers as UDFA". Courier & Press. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- â "Mikail Kamara College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
- â "49ers Agree to Terms with Undrafted Rookie Free Agents". 49ers.com. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
- â "49ers Sign Six Draft Picks, Seven Undrafted Rookie Free Agents". 49ers.com. May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- â "49ers Sign RB Khalil Herbert and DL Titus Leo One-Year Deals; More Moves". 49ers.com. August 2, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
- â "Rookie DE Mikail Kamara tore his ACL at 49ers' practice". Sports.Yahoo.com. Retrieved September 1, 2026.
