On his first snap in nearly 12 months, Hamsah Nasirildeen looked like he must have just been in the N.C. State offensive huddle.
After initially lining up at safety in Florida State's defensive backfield, Nasirildeen quickly hustled up closer to the line of scrimmage, next to left defensive end Janarius Robinson. Then as soon as the ball was snapped, he came off the edge unblocked and helped tackle Wolfpack running back Ricky Person before he could get back to the line of scrimmage.
The rest of the night would not go as well for Nasirildeen and the Seminoles, but the senior safety, who has worked all year to come back from a devastating knee injury, was thrilled to clear his individual hurdle.
"It felt great, just to be out there and able to make a play," Nasirildeen said. "It's just a good feeling to go out there and get those jitters out. Feeling back at home -- back where you belong."
The Seminoles certainly have missed him.
When Nasirildeen went down with a torn ACL last Nov. 30 against rival Florida, he was one of the most productive college football players in the nation.
His 101 total tackles ranked second among Power 5 defensive backs, and he had enjoyed two monster games in the second half of the season. First, he recorded 17 tackles against Syracuse, and then he piled up 22 tackles against Boston College.
Those 22 stops were the most by a Florida State defensive player since Dale McCullers racked up 26 and 29 during games in 1968.
Two weeks later, Nasirildeen would be carted off the field with a season-ending injury.
It would take him nearly a full year to once again suit up for a game.
"Being able to come back and play -- just be on the grass and practice, do drills, just move around and get to play football -- it is a blessing," Nasirildeen said, adding that he never contemplated sitting out the entire season or "opting out," the way so many players have across the country.
"There was never a plan for that for me. From somewhere around, people started getting that idea. But personally, that was never part of my plan."
