The Athletic puts Curt Cignetti’s top defender in elite Big Ten company | Sporting News

The Indiana Hoosiers are coming off their best season in program history and it didnt take long for first-year head coach Curt Cignetti to put the rest of the Big Ten on notice.

Now, the program is starting to get the national recognition that comes with winning.

And The Athletic (formerly part of the New York Times) is taking note.

In its latest ranking of the top 25 players in the Big Ten , the Hoosiers landed a name inside the top five.

That name? Mikail Kamara Indianas breakout edge rusher who came in at No.

5 overall.

The only players ahead of him: Ohio States Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith, Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton, and Oregon defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei.

Thats some elite company.

The Athletic didnt hold back in its praise of Kamara, writing: The fifth-year senior from Virginia, who followed coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Bloomington, didnt let the jump in competition from the Sun Belt faze him last season.

He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, producing 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks while leading the FBS in total pressures (68), according to Pro Football Focus.

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Now entering his sixth college season, Kamara brings more experience than almost any edge rusher in the country.

His production speaks for itself and so does the motor.

Hes a relentless, disruptive presence off the edge, and hell be the heart of Indianas front seven this fall.

NFL scouts are already watching.

And after what he did last season, its not just Indiana fans paying attention anymore.

Kamara heads into 2025 as one of the most dangerous returning defenders in college football and a major reason why Indianas defense has a chance to take another leap under Cignetti.

If the Hoosiers are going to build on last years momentum, itll likely start with No.

8 wrecking things in the backfield..

This article has been shared from the original article on sportingnews, here is the link to the original article.