UND football lands commitment from Akron cornerback
Jan. 16—GRAND FORKS — Akron cornerback Ben Kamara didn't take a recruiting visit to UND football.
Kamara, however, was taking a second-hand recruiting visit through the eyes of his former teammate Avery Dixon, a safety from Upper Iowa who committed to the Fighting Hawks earlier this offseason.
"When Avery was on his visit, I was low-key tuning in, and he was showing me some videos on some of the things that were up there," Kamara said.
The impression was enough for Kamara to eventually commit to the Hawks, calling off this weekend's expected visit to Iowa State.
Kamara, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound Philadelphia native, has one year of eligibility remaining. Kamara played in 10 games at Akron, finishing with 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four pass break-ups and an interception.
"I was just looking for a reset," Kamara said of his decision to transfer. "It wasn't playing time because I was getting playing time at Akron but the opportunity here was just a little better."
Akron's defensive coordinator is former UND standout Tim Tibesar, although Kamara didn't know Tibesar had Grand Forks connections. Instead, he said the connection to UND was through Upper Iowa head coach Jason Hoskins, who was a graduate assistant at Southern Illinois when UND cornerbacks coach Travis Stepps was on Dale Lennon's coaching staff in Carbondale about 15 years ago.
Kamara spent three seasons (one redshirt) at Upper Iowa before transferring to Akron. At Upper Iowa in 2024, Kamara was all-GLVC second team after recording 44 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass break-ups.
Kamara was planning to be in Grand Forks on Friday, weather permitting. Although a Philadelphia native, he played high school football in Iowa.
Kamara is the fifth defensive back to commit to UND from the transfer portal this offseason, as the Hawks need to retool the secondary. The Fighting Hawks graduate starting 2025 defensive backs Zach Lewis, Jy Martin and Bennett Walker, while Antonio Bluiett entered the transfer portal, Avery Scott is appealing the NCAA for an additional season of eligibility and nickel Jonnie Wiltshire is also searching for an extra season of eligibility, hinging on court cases and NCAA rulings.
Friday was the final day of the NCAA's transfer portal window.
2026 transfer portal commitments
Marquis Edmond, Virginia State, S
Travis Hines II, Iowa Western, DB
Mason Miller, Iowa State, LB
Maurice Densmore, Winona State, WR
Matt Lawson, Illinois State, RB
Mason McFarland, Sacramento City College, DB
Avery Dixon, Upper Iowa, S
Kefa Pereira, Eastern Illinois, DT
Caleb Goodloe, Bowling Green, WR
Madden Thorson, MSU Moorhead, WR
Kylyn Macklin, Albany, DT
Cameron Weir, Washington State, WR
Ben Kamara, Akron, CB
