In Position: Defensive Front Looks to Push Beyond

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Defensive Line

Who's Back: Mohamed Kamara, DeAndre Gill Jr., Nuer Gatkuoth, Grady Kelly, James Mitchell, Mukendi Wa-Kalonji, Cam Bariteau, Tyler Quinn, Marshon Oxley, Brycen Heil.

Who's New: Nate Weyand, Whitefield Powell, Andrew Laurich, Kenyon Agurs, Mulumba Wa-Kalonji, Hidetora Hanada, Matt Thomas, Kennedy McDowell, Javion Smith-Combs.

Key Number: The defensive line combined for 189 tackles in 2022. They also combined for 32.5 tackles for loss totaling 119 yards, along with 14 sacks for 80 yards.

What Happened: Improvement over the course of last season at defensive line was a big help in decreasing Colorado State's average points allowed from 32.1 in the first eight games to just 16.5 in their final four games. Entering his fifth year, Mohamed Kamara led the entire defense in tackles for loss (16) and sacks (8.5) last season.

From the Top: Defensive line coach Buddha Williams knows his guys can play. His group has the intangibles: speed, size and knowledge of the game. The next step during fall camp is taking those things and sharpening the effort, focus and ferocity that a good D-line should exhibit.

"One thing that we've gotta continue to be doing is playing a lot faster, playing a lot harder, selling out a little bit more within the play," Williams said. "That's what we're gonna keep pushing these guys to do, just so it becomes natural to them come gametime."

With the arrival of so many new faces up front in the defense, Williams is drawing on veteran leadership to help acclimate newcomers to the team, but also to construct what he hopes will be a killer group of players. Enter Kamara, the fifth-year graduate student who was a driving force in improving the front last year.

Kamara is a great player and teammate in that he loves to be coached nearly as much as he loves to help others with their game. He's embraced the role of leader in many ways, one of which is that he holds himself accountable and demonstrates the importance of doing so.

"We go as Mo goes as well, but when it might not be a good day for him, we got guys that'll help and step up and have his back on stuff," Williams said. "But Mo is certainly helpful. He's been stepping up, helping with the young guys, helping with the old guys, but also, he's a leader too that if he ain't doing stuff right, other guys can coach him up, and he'll take coaching from anybody.

"It's unbelievable to see. It is important, and especially when you can take criticism and take coaching, guys believe in you more. It helps you as a leader."

From the Room: Kamara is well aware of his job as a leader of the defensive line room. But with as much speed and athleticism that is coming into the program, he also knows even his spot isn't guaranteed. Still, he's willing to help anywhere he can, from demonstrating drills to embracing and facilitating the room's competition. The goal is always simple: get better.

"(The competition) is pretty good," Kamara said. "It's hard because for me, I'm a little older and all the D-ends under me are usually younger, so I have to make sure I keep up with them. Sometimes I've gotta show them the ropes. I always go first in every drill we do, just to make sure I'm doing it right. I'm still watching, I'm still learning, even in year five."

He leads by example and gives everyone challenges. Most of all, Kamara is challenging the entire group, including himself, to understand the defense's deep playbook "like the back of our hand."

He also challenges his teammates to test him for his spot and for spots around him. His message to them is simple.

"If you're good, you play," Kamara said. "Anything less, just get better. I don't take anything personal, and if you're good enough to beat me out of my spot, go ahead. We don't pick and choose. … It's not like we were the best defense in the country last year, so there are no favorites, nobody's spot is saved. Everybody needs to work."

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