Due to injuries to the starting quarterback and starting tailback, the youth movement on offense is nothing new for the Florida State football team. True freshman James Blackman has started the last seven games under center, and true freshman Cam Akers is often right behind him.
On Saturday against Syracuse, the recruiting class of 2017 was well-represented on defense as well.
Partly due to injuries and partly because of Syracuse’s up-tempo, wide-open offensive attack, Florida State relied heavily on three true freshman defensive backs in its 27-24 victory. Safety Hamsah Nasirildeen actually started the game, Stanford Samuels III played most of the game at cornerback, and defensive back Cyrus Fagan saw extensive playing time as well.
Freshman defensive tackle Marvin Wilson also appeared to see the most action he has this season.
“The young guys were excited to play,” junior safety Derwin James said. “Those guys were four-stars or five-stars coming out of high school, so we know the talent is there. Just getting experience, but they stepped in and did a great job. I’m proud of them.”
Nasirildeen, who was rated the nation’s No. 8 safety coming out of high school, earned the start as FSU opened with six defensive backs. The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder recorded four tackles and had one of the team’s nine pass breakups.
Like Samuels, Nasirildeen has played in all eight of FSU’s games this season, both on defense and special teams. Teammates say his coverage skills are improving, and he has been one of the team’s hardest hitters since the first day of preseason camp.
“I was impressed. Hamsah, he did a great job at the safety spot beside me,” James said. “I told him, ‘No matter what man, whether you make a mistake or not, we got you.’”
Nasirildeen, a North Carolina product, did show his inexperience on at least one play Saturday. While defending a fourth-down pass, he leaped to make a deflection on the side of the end zone and, instead of letting the ball fall incomplete out of bounds, swatted it back into the field of play. It nearly ended up being caught by a Syracuse player for a fluke touchdown.
