Wake Forest Athletics
Brotherhood Brought Kamara Back for Final Season
“There’s a lot of work to be done. We have to grow. We need to be better leaders on the defense.” - Sulaiman Kamara
Sulaiman Kamara went through Senior Day festivities at the end of last season, assuming that his playing days with the Demon Deacons were coming to an end.
But after some postseason contemplation, he returned for his redshirt senior campaign for a trio of reasons — to potentially improve his professional football outlook, have one more season with teammates he calls his brothers and to be a part of a deep Wake Forest defensive line.
The Demon Deacon returned seven players on the defensive line who earned starts a season ago, and that internal competition fueled improvement through fall camp.
“Fall camp for the defensive line was full of competition,” Kamara said. “We knew that Boogie (Basham) was going to be the starter on the outside. On the inside, there’s so much talent and competition there. We have to rotate because the guys on the inside are just so good, and that’s brought out the best in everybody. We’re all pushing each other to help get better.”
Of course, the competition continues to take place ahead of Friday when Wake Forest will host its lone non-conference opponent of the season, Campbell, at 7:00 p.m. at Truist Field.
With some youth on the back end up the Wake Forest defense, it’ll be up to the front seven, and especially the defensive line, to set the tone.
“That’s a challenge that we accept every year,” Kamara said. “Every year since I’ve been here, I feel like the defensive line has been the heart and soul of the defense. When we go, the whole defense moves. We accept the challenge. We know it all starts with us. We have to set the new line of scrimmage. We have to bring the pass rush, and all that makes the job on the back line a little easier and we’re all united. As a defensive line, we know we have to beat any offensive line we face.”
The conventional wisdom said that the Wake Forest offense will lose a step this season while having to replace every skill position starter from a season ago. Headed into the 2020 campaign, the Demon Deacons had strung together the three most-prolific offensive campaigns in program history the last three years. Through two games this season, Kamara can see they will continue that trend, based on what he’s witnessed.
“I have so much faith in our offense,” he said. “So many guys have stepped up. The offensive line, Kenneth Walker and Justice Ellison made a lot of plays. Sam (Hartman) is out there, and (Michael) Kern is being a leader. I like the unity that they have. Everybody can see our offensive line had the most to replace, but they’re not letting that affect them. They’re coming out everyday and getting better. They are pushing each other and helping us in the process. They aren’t listening to the hype or the noise. They’re just getting better.”
That also holds true for the Wake Forest offensive line, who had to replace three redshirt seniors who signed NFL contracts during the offseason (Nate Gilliam, Justin Herron and Jake Benzinger).
“Some of the guys on the offensive line might not have played as many games as who they are facing everyday in practice from the defensive line, but they do have some game experience,” Kamara said. “Guys like Taleni (Surhen), Zach (Tom) and Sean Maginn push us as much as we push them. We’re going to push them to their limits. There’s never a dull moment in practice. Sometimes it gets a little chirpy, but that’s what the competition is for. We push each other to get better. We play some really good teams this year, and they’re going to have to get ready.”
That confidence in the offense is at least partially due to the offense coming out on top in the final scrimmage of fall camp as well as performances during practices since then.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Kamara said. “We have to grow. We need to be better leaders on the defense. This should be the year the defense is dominant, because we have so much experience at every level. The offense came out hot and outworked us in fall camp. We felt bad about that. We didn’t come out like we were supposed to. I’m glad we’re seeing these mistakes now.”