Full Throttle
CSU defense benefits from Kamara’s expanded roles
Mike Brohard
The part-time gig was over. Discarded was the linebacker tag.
As the new defensive coordinator at Colorado State, Freddie Banks saw more in Mohamed Kamara. As the defensive line coach, so did Buddha Williams. Not surprisingly, so did Kamara.
“It was just because it was time for me to prove myself to myself, that there was nothing I couldn’t do. The most exciting part was being out there playing every down, which is what I always wanted to do, bleeding and sweating with my teammates,” Kamara said. “That was the best part.
“Being a third-down specialist, you have to wait your turn. Sometimes you don’t get to third down, so you always have to be ready. I took that and transitioned that to being an every-down player. You always have to be ready for that play, to have that readiness.”
The “just because” was in his mind, but there was also very much some “easy to see.” The athleticism the New Jersey product brought to the table with his 6-foot-1, 250-pound build. His ability to run and move, to generate power and push. His motor was always redlining.
But for the first three years of his existence with the Rams, he was part of the pass-rush package. He posted a few highlight plays his first two seasons, then beefed up as a junior, putting up 9.5 tackles for loss with 7.5 sacks. All as a role player.
What the coaching change brought was a new style of defense, one where they all believed there was absolutely no reason why Kamara should not be on the field on every snap. There was a strong belief he could impact an opponent’s run game, that he could spend time in the game with his hand in the dirt, get off the ball and invade a backfield, regardless of the down.
There was no testing anything out and see how it goes. It was a full-go, no-looking-back approach. Williams had no doubt about what he saw in Kamara.
“He’s really a natural pass rusher, and there’s this mindset with it, like a naturally aggressive, physical guy that you want in D-line play,” he said. “The mindset, the way he operates, there was no doubt in my mind it would be an easy adjustment.
“Mo is an explosive, powerful dude. If you combine that with his mindset, those guys normally make great run stoppers as well.”
Becoming the player they envisioned – heck, he envisioned – meant Kamara could not take a part-time route to making the switch. The transformation was going to require him to absorb a plethora of information. Not just technique but reads. His view from the line was going to be different than one of a stand-up edge rusher.
What impressed his teammates from the start was the vigor with which he pursued it all.
“He was doing extra stuff with coach after practice. Before practice he was watching a lot of film,” defensive tackle Cam Bariteau said. “He had been just a pass-down player, so he didn’t really know a lot of run-down stuff. He switched positions, so there were a lot of physical things went into it, but a lot of mental work too. Every week before the game he’d be asking a bunch of questions, doing things over and over again just to ger things down.
“His notebook, he’d write stuff down and work with coach. The way I saw him progress, and I don’t know how to explain it, coming from a different position, he wasn’t vocal, he hadn’t been a leader, but he became a student of the game.”
The numbers are better than most, but I look at the film and there was so much out there I left. There were so many more plays I could have made. If that’s the case, that’s average. If there’s more you can do, do it.Mohamed Kamara
The result was Kamara become one of the more disruptive defenders in the Mountain West. He ranked third in tackles for loss per game at 1.33, collecting 16 in total. Part of those figures were his 8.5 sacks, ranking sixth in the MW with an average of .71 per contest.
In short order, he’s put himself among the best in the program’s history. His 28.5 career tackles for loss rank ninth at the school, his 17.5 sacks sit 11th. Kamara is still not impressed. He knows the plays he’s made. He remembers the ones he didn’t.
Which is the attitude opposition offensive lines are going to have to come to terms with in 2023.
“To an extent. I think the Boise State game was terrible for me. There were a couple of games that were terrible for me, and that was understanding how to be an efficient run stopper,” Kamara said. “It’s understanding sometimes I can be too aggressive and sometimes you have to play the player. I like to impose my will on people.
“I feel like I just played average. The reason why is I look at the film. The numbers are better than most, but I look at the film and there was so much out there I left. There were so many more plays I could have made. If that’s the case, that’s average. If there’s more you can do, do it. The plays I got the sacks, that was homework and all that stuff. The plays I feel really proud of are the TFLs because I don’t think any of mine were that clean.”
He was relentless as a pass rusher. What he had to learn as the season progressed was converting that on every down, in every situation. The Rams rely on him to be just as disruptive on first down, to catch a back behind the line of scrimmage and put them behind the change.
Kamara knows if he does that, he effects the rhythm of the offense. He knows they all want to be in one, he understands each coordinator has a plan in place for down and distance situations. His goal is to alter them as often as he can.
Which is what Williams wants him to focus on this season. No one will ever question his motor. They just want him to use it to full capacity.
“Some of it is really just his tempo he plays with. He plays 1,000 MPH and he’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around,” Williams said. “We need him in control of his own game -- know when to throw moves, what moves to throw and play at his own pace. His pace is something we’re trying to work with. He can still play 1,000 MPH but be in control when he throws moves.
“Mo has very high expectations of himself. The plays he talked about that stick out to him are things he’ll fix. The same issues won’t happen twice because that’s the kind of guy he is. You add those plays, and now he’s having an unbelievable season.”
As important as it was for the defense for Kamara to be on the field in every situation, the unit gained an addition benefit.
His voice.
Stature on a roster can come from a multitude of places. There’s the work a player puts in. There’s performance. Personality plays a role, and as a season with a wave of roster turnovers progressed, a leadership vacuum had to be addressed.
Again, Kamara didn’t want any aspect of his time at Colorado State to be part time moving forward. As Bariteau hinted at, Kamara quickly went from student of the defensive line to a teacher. What he picked up, he passed on to his teammates. There was a definite void in his particular position room, as the season prior, the Rams relied on four defenders up front to play 80 percent of the snaps. With all of them leaving at the same time, Williams inherited a group with very little experience.
Becoming a leader for his room was where it started. By the end of spring camp, his voice was carrying throughout Canvas Stadium.
“I would say he’s pretty much one of six guys who are looked at as leaders of the team. I’ve seen him grow a ton since we got here,” said associate head coach Jordon Simmons, who leads the speed and strength staff. “He’s come out of his shell, he connects with players more, he knows how to motivate guys.
“I think it was very important for him personally. That was something he and I spoke about after last year is that he wants that. He wanted a leadership role, wanting more influence, trying to figure out how to best lead the team and get to know guys and get the most out of them. I think he’s always been a leader; it was a matter of figuring out how to reach the most people. Mo can come off a little bit like an in-your-face type of guy, and that’s going to work with some guys. When you figure out it’s not going to work with everyone and take the time and develop as a leader to try to reach more guys and figure out the best way to do that, that’s when you really start to have a lot of influence. I think he knew he needed to improve on that, and he’s done that. He has a voice which carries beyond the defense.”
His name is one which is known beyond the city limits of Fort Collins, a fact which became clear to Kamara last season, as well as a badge of honor.
When a player reaches the level where he’s one of the most prominent defensive ends in the league, word is going to get out and game plans will be adjusted.
“It’s a great feeling, one of the best feelings, when an offensive coach comes to you after the game, win or loss and shakes my hand and shows respect because they had to game plan against me,” Kamara said. “The crowd doesn’t see that and neither do the stats. Shoutout to the coaches who came after and shook my hand and let me know I was a good player, and that goes a long way. Whatever I was doing was good enough to be on their board, for them to circle my name up.”
Still, it’s not enough. Kamara used his extra season for a few reasons. First, he wanted to graduate, which he has now done. Secondly, he wanted to improve his draft stock. He’s excited because the young guys around him on the CSU defense are still young, but he knows on the field they are not. That’s a step forward.
Leaving the past season with a shutout in the books provides an excellent staring point for which to move forward. There’s an anticipation for so much more, and with Kamara, it’s on him to set a tone. He likens himself to the defense for which he plays. It was new, just as he was to his position. Part of being new carries some caution. His game progressed, and so did the calls the defense made.
Now, he sees no reason for himself or the defense to hesitate any longer.
“There are more things I could have done better. I’m just trying to hammer in the little things and just being dominant,” he said. “I need to be a game changer. My teammates and my coaches look to me, even the other team looks to me. They know I can change the game. If you’re being called upon, you have to do what you have to do.
“I don’t want to play it safe.”
An attitude which requires a full-time approach.