Mikail Kamara Wins Pair Of National Defensive Player Of The Week Awards

Mikail Kamara had a masterful defensive performance in Indiana’s Win At Michigan State.

Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) gets sacked by Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Mikail Kamara (6) during the second quarter at Spartan Stadium. / Dale Young-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara was good enough to win two National Defensive Player of the Week awards – but did not win the Big Ten honor.

On Tuesday, Kamara was honored with the National Player of the Week award by both the Maxwell Football Club and Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Kamara was a force in Indiana’s 47-10 win at Michigan State last Saturday. Kamara had seven tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Kamara’s 4.5 tackles for loss and the second-best performance nationally in 2024 and is tied for third-most in a game in Indiana history. It was the most tackles for loss for any Hoosier since Damian Gregory did it against Michigan State in 1997.

Kamara’s 2.5 sacks in a game are sixth-best in Indiana history. It’s the best single sack day for an Indiana defender since Tegray Scales had three against Penn State in 2017.

Kamara was the second Indiana player to win a National Defensive Player of the Week honor in the last two weeks. D’Angelo Ponds was also honored last week after his two-interception performance in a win over Washington.

The 4.5 tackles for loss are tied for No. 2 on the single-game list in the FBS this season.

Kamara has 9.5 sacks overall, the most since Nick Mangieri had the same total in 2015. Indiana’s last player with a double-digit sack total was Jammie Kirlew, who had 10.5 in 2008.

According to Pro Football Focus, Kamara is the highest-rated defender on Indiana’s team with an overall score of 89.9 by PFF’s graders over the course of the season. His game score of 82.3 was his fourth-best performance of the season by PFF’s methods.

Oddly, while Kamara’s performance garnered him national honors, Kamara did not win the Big Ten’s weekly Defensive Player of the Week Award.

Washington’s Carson Bruener won the honor with 12 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups.

Kamara’s raised his game to a different level with the Hoosiers. The Ashburn, Va. native was a second-team All-Sun Belt selection at James Madison in 2023 with 6.5 sacks.

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