LOS ANGELES – On June 19, 2019, James Madison’s first-year head coach, Curt Cignetti, earned his first commitment of the 2020 recruiting cycle. A 6-foot, 241-pound defensive end from Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia was eager to play FCS football for the Dukes.
Mikail Kamara.
On Jan. 1, 2026, Indiana’s second-year head coach, Curt Cignetti, will coach the No. 1 Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 58 years. A 6-foot-1, 262-pound, All-American defensive end is ready to make an impact up front against Alabama.
Mikail Kamara.
“The way that my career was going, I never would have expected to be in the Rose Bowl,” Kamara said at Rose Bowl Media Day on Tuesday. “Making the change and coming to Indiana is when that hope started to become alive again.”
The hope to play in the Rose Bowl would not have been possible without the belief in Indiana. The belief in Indiana would not have been possible without trust in Cignetti. The trust in Cignetti would not have been possible without success at JMU. The success at JMU would not have been possible without the commitment of a zero-star recruit from Ashburn, Virginia.
Cignetti’s building of JMU and turnaround of Indiana were built on having the right people in the right place. Some were around longer than others. Some had a bigger role than others. Kamara has been there through it all and left his imprint along the way.
It was a slow burn to begin his college career. He started six games in the 2020 season, making 16 tackles with three sacks. After redshirting and not playing in the 2021 season, he came back in 2022, making 14 tackles with four sacks in five games. The potential was visible.
The 2023 season is where he began to turn his potential into production.
Kamara started all 12 games for James Madison at defensive end, picking up 17.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He earned Second-Team All Sun-Belt Honors and was named a HERO Sports Group of Five Third Team All-American.
James Madison sported a 38-7 record during Kamara’s four seasons. It was enough to earn Cignetti a call-up to Indiana. When he looked to build his new roster in Bloomington, he did it the only way he knew: bringing his guys. Kamara noticed the skepticism from outsiders, but didn’t believe it.
“The biggest thing was that bringing a bunch of G5 guys over (to Indiana) isn’t really going to work,” Kamara said. “Apparently, it’s worked pretty well.”
Of the 27 transfers that made up Cignetti’s initial transfer class at Indiana, 13 came from James Madison. They knew Cignetti’s methods to success and they were ready to bring them to Bloomington. Kamara was no exception.
“The players that came over were kind of like the building blocks for everyone else,” Kamara said. “We were kind of building the culture, and we had a lot of great players and a lot of good coaches. That's kind of how the scheme works.”
Cignetti’s system demands extreme discipline. He lets his assistants run the day-to-day operations. He lets his players lead each other. He does not compromise his unbelievably high standards for anything.
For players like Kamara, who had already experienced it for four years, it came easily at Indiana. For everyone else who had not been in the system, it was the opposite.
“It took a little bit,” Kamara said. “Definitely throughout the offseason, it wasn’t as connected as a unit.”
Winning cures all, they say.
Indiana’s 2024 season brought attention to Cignetti on a much larger scale. The Hoosiers began the season 10-0, finished the regular season 11-1, and made the College Football Playoff for the first time ever.
It took time, but Cignetti’s system hit home with the new group. Kamara sensed the system settling in.
“As we started to win games and everyone started to understand why (Cignetti) is the way he is or why we’re so detailed at our position or in the locker room, I think that is when they started to understand that this is what it takes to win,” Kamara said. “This is when the buy in started to happen.”
Seven of the 13 James Madison transfers earned All-Conference honors or honorable mentions. Three earned All-Big Ten First Team and All-American status. All three were from James Madison. All three were underrecruited.
One was a defensive end from Ashburn, Virginia.
Kamara finished the 2024 season with 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He earned All-Big Ten First Team and AP All-America Third Team honors. An overlooked recruit was now regarded as one of the best defensive ends in the nation.
“There’s talent everywhere. You’ve just got to have either the right coaches or the right spotlight put on the players,” Kamara said. “We always talk about the numbers. The five stars and four stars, and that stuff really means nothing.”
Kamara had the chance to enter the NFL draft with his stock at an all-time high.
Indiana’s stock was at an all-time high too.
Kamara made the major decision to return to Indiana for his sixth and final year of college football. In 2024, he saw the dream of winning on the big was possible. In 2025, he aimed to make it a reality.
Cignetti’s system remained the same, only this year, Kamara felt more confident that it could be exemplified.
“This year, I feel like we have a ton of players from last year who already know what the deal is,” Kamara said. “And then the players that Cig recruits, a lot of older guys and guys that kind of know what it takes to win.”
He was right.
For the first time ever Indiana is the No.1 team in the country. The Hoosiers won the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time ever. Indiana has a Heisman-winning quarterback. It is the only undefeated school remaining. It is playing in the Rose Bowl.
“It's just kind of surreal to be in this position,” Kamara said. “It's fantastic just to know not just that the belief worked out, but all the hard work is paying off.”
From playing in the FCS six years ago to playing in the Rose Bowl on Thursday, many things changed for Kamara. His belief in Cignetti’s system did not. He made the transition to the FBS with JMU. He made the transition to the Big Ten with Cignetti at Indiana. He helped build the foundation for Indiana to become a powerhouse in college football.
Indiana fans that have been longing for a turnaround like the one Kamara has experienced for decades. He knows what it means to those who waited.
“Whether it's inspiring youth to come (to Indiana) and play and kind of have something to dream about again, or whether it's just the older people who get to live in whatever dreams that they have for this program, I'm happy to bring joy to all these different people,” Kamara said.
Each game from here on out has the potential to be the final one of Kamara’s journey with Indiana. What he helped build will live in sports history forever. Even when his time is up, the
Cignetti system will continue with new leaders at the helm.
“We're not going anywhere anytime soon,” Kamara said.
Coming out of Ashburn, Virginia as a zero-star recruit, building the foundation to play in the Rose Bowl felt like a dream.
When he runs out of the tunnel on Thursday, it will be a reality.
