Before signing with Florida State as the No. 1 player in North Carolina two years ago, Hamsah Nasirildeen actually lined up at wide receiver for much of his high school career.

Some 178 career tackles later (and counting), the FSU coaching staff would likely be first in line to thank his high school coaches for switching him to defensive back.

“He’s come a long way,” Seminoles defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said this week. “You could tell he was raw in his football knowledge and things like that, just because he hadn’t played a whole lot. He’s still ready to be shaped and molded. He has a real, real bright future ahead of him. Really proud of him how he works at it, even off the field.

"He wants to be good. He’s always trying to soak up all the knowledge that you can give him.”

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He also tries to make up for lost time.

Two weeks ago at Wake Forest, the junior safety was subject to what had to be one of the earliest ejections during an NCAA game this season, if not the history of the sport. Nasirildeen was flagged for targeting on the Demon Deacons' opening drive and was removed from the field with 13:46 remaining in the first quarter.

Frustrated by the play and the ruling -- "I've gotta keep my head up; I learned a lesson on that one" -- Nasirildeen had an extra dose of motivation when the Seminoles took the field last Saturday against Syracuse.

The playmaking safety racked up a career-high 17 tackles -- nine solo stops and eight assists -- in leading the Seminoles to a 35-17 victory. The win pushed FSU's record to 4-4 and 3-3 in the ACC heading into today's showdown with rival Miami (3:30 p.m., ABC).

“I think he was upset that he got kicked out of the game the first quarter last week, and he had to make up for some of the tackles that he left out there from last week,” FSU head coach Willie Taggart said. “So he was fired up about being back in this game and playing … the kid is special when he’s around the football. And we need him to be around the football.”

It's not out of the ordinary for the Concord, N.C., product to deliver impressive performances. Nasirildeen led the team last season with 91 stops, and he has recorded nine or more total tackles in a game 10 times in under three seasons in the garnet and gold.

But even by his standards, 17 tackles in one game is special.

“He had a crazy game," junior cornerback Stanford Samuels III said. "He’s capable of that every week. Whether the plays come at him or whether the plays fall into his hands the way they did on Saturday, he flies around. He pays attention to the details, and it paid off for him on Saturday."

A gifted athlete at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Nasirildeen certainly has been blessed with great physical tools. But Barnett said it's what the junior does in terms of preparation that has enabled him to become a dominant force.

“All of it. The film study, on-the-board work, just talking about different things," Barnett said. "Not only where he belongs and where he fits, but where the entire defense fits. Understanding the entire puzzle.

"That’s where his game has gone to another level, I think. Just understanding everybody’s fits and where they need to be, not only himself. And he continues to work at it, each and every day.”

While making plays is one thing, being a vocal leader is something Nasirildeen now wants to add to his repertoire.

As well as the Seminoles played defensively for three quarters against Syracuse, the junior made it clear that he wasn't pleased about the Orange scoring two late touchdowns. He said the next step is putting together a complete game today against the Hurricanes (4-4, 2-3).

“The focus, attention to detail, coming out into the fourth quarter, I feel like we could have still played better," Nasirildeen said. "We should’ve shut some more things down. But it was all just focus in that first half, just being locked in. Knowing what we are all doing. Coming out with a goal. And just getting everybody doing their job.

"It looks good when everybody does their job.”

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