This wasn't the type of celebration Hamsah Nasirildeen envisioned when he signed with Florida State four years ago.

These weren't the players he thought he'd be celebrating with.

But just because it wasn't what he expected doesn't mean it wasn't special.

When Nasirildeen snared an interception midway through the first quarter of Saturday's game against Duke and returned it 25 yards to the Blue Devils' 14-yard line, the senior safety was absolutely mobbed by teammates on the field.

Redshirt freshman safety Travis Jay was already in the game, so he got the first crack. Then came Seminoles pouring from the sidelines. There was backup cornerback Akeem Dent and reserve linebacker DeCalon Brooks. Graduate assistant coach Joe Bowen and injured defensive lineman Marvin Wilson.

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There were pats on the helmet and slaps on the back. Then there were hugs ... from seemingly every player on the team.

Even FSU head coach Mike Norvell, who is constantly preaching the need for players to not get too high or too low during a game -- but to always focus on the next play -- couldn't wait to rush over.

"I was definitely in that [celebration]," Norvell said with a huge smile afterward. "I don't know if I've been any more excited to see a young man have a play like that. To see him get his hands on the ball ... you talk about just a phenomenal story. And a phenomenal young man."

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The story is phenomenal. It's just not the one Nasirildeen expected to author when he arrived in Tallahassee in 2017.

Back then, Florida State was coming off its fifth straight season with at least 10 wins. The Seminoles had finished 2016 with back-to-back victories over No. 13 Florida and No. 6 Michigan, and they were ranked No. 3 heading into the 2017 campaign.

"Everybody knows what you expect when you come to school," Nasirildeen said.

Especially a school like Florida State.

Championships. Thrilling wins over arch rivals. A quick path to the NFL.

Instead, what Nasirildeen has experienced is a lot of disappointment and a long line of departures.

The coaching staff who signed him was gone within the first year. The losses started piling up immediately and haven't yet begun to slow. There were six that first season, and there haven't been fewer than six in any season since.

Then there's that 2017 recruiting class.

Though he was a four-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina, Nasirildeen was only the seventh highest-rated prospect in a class that was ranked in the top five nationally.

Four years later, only seven other players from that class remain with the program.

Six have left in the last five months.

"It's definitely been surprising, and just a lot of hurt and stuff to overcome," Nasirildeen said this past week, in the days leading up to what could be his final home game at Florida State. "But I truly expected a challenge, so I got what I expected, I guess."

The greatest challenges of all might have come in the past 12 months.

After leading the Seminoles in tackles as a sophomore and junior -- he posted 91 in 2018 and 101 last season -- there was talk that Nasirildeen might leave early for the 2020 NFL Draft. Several analysts have said he's a first-round talent.

But a devastating knee injury in the 2019 regular-season finale against Florida would require reconstructive surgery, and the star safety's professional aspirations would have to be put on hold.

If that wasn't enough, Nasirildeen would also see another coaching staff come and go. A third head coach. A third defensive coordinator. More new terminology, and another defensive system.

Yet instead of dwelling on his circumstances, teammates and coaches insist Nasirildeen was among the first to throw his support behind the new staff.

"He has been incredible ever since we got here," defensive coordinator Adam Fuller told Warchant during the summer. "He brings so much enthusiasm. He has the ability to light up a room."

It is that attitude that led FSU's coaches to bring Nasirildeen on road trips this season, even when his surgically repaired knee wasn't ready for contact. They wanted him to share his knowledge with teammates during games. But mostly, they wanted him to set an example.

"The rehabilitation that he's done throughout the course of this season -- even on days when you could just see it in his eyes how badly he wanted to be out there," Norvell said late Saturday night. "Not getting caught up with the disappointment, but just continuing to believe, and continuing to work and inspire his teammates.

"Throughout the course of this season, whether he had any real chance of playing early in the season or not, he's sitting in every meeting. Taking notes, learning, being a sponge, being a great example of what it is to pour it all into the opportunity. And it's paid off. You see him come out and leading our team in tackles, making impactful plays. Just so honored for the opportunity to coach that young man. And excited to see him get that interception, and really a big play that sparked us."

Nasirildeen's first playing time of 2020 didn't come until last month at N.C. State in FSU's eighth game of the season. He was limited to just 24 snaps and recorded four tackles.

On Saturday, he made nine stops in the first half alone. He also recorded a tackle for loss and the interception that led to the Seminoles' third touchdown in the first quarter.

"It was just incredible," sophomore defensive back Brendan Gant said. "He's been through a lot ... we were just happy for him."

During an interview with the media last week, Nasirildeen said he isn't sure what his plans hold for 2021. Most expect he will leave for the NFL, although there's a chance he could stay in Tallahassee and try to help Norvell and company get the Seminoles back to where they were before he arrived.

A decision likely will come after Saturday's game at Wake Forest. The only thing certain right now is Nasirildeen has played his first and final home game of 2020.

He got the chance to deliver one more great performance, and his teammates and coaches were grateful to share in the moment.

"Every time I see Ham, he's working hard -- just to get back to his self and be able to play football with us," freshman tailback Lawrance Toafili said. "I'm happy for him -- that he got to play and got a pick. It's all good things."

"Man, that's one of the best moments I've had here at Florida State," Nasirildeen said. "Just being able to come back. And everybody embrace me and show me the love that they did was amazing."

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