SpursUp Surveillance: How Hamsah Nasirildeen reached his decision
August 19, 2016
CONCORD, N.C. – High school football still means an awful lot to Hamsah Nasirildeen.
On Thursday night, just two days removed from his commitment to South Carolina, Concord High School squared off with longtime rival A.L. Brown High School. Concord lost a heartbreaker, 31-19.
Nasirildeen, a 4-star prospect and the highest-rated commitment in the Gamecocks 2017 class, was emotional in the aftermath. Hamsah Nasirildeen Sr. was there with both shoulders.
About 10 minutes after the embrace with his father, the No. 139 overall prospect in the country gave thoughtful answers to the series of questions from the reporters representing SEC Country and Rivals.
Q: Why South Carolina?
A: “It felt great to get it out of the way, so I could focus on this year. I chose South Carolina because of my relationship with coach (Will) Muschamp, coach (Travaris Robinson) and coach (Bobby) Bentley, really everybody on the staff, even guys that aren’t even coaches. Just being able to be there and feel comfortable from home, the distance from home itself are really good. And the development that coach Muschamp and his staff, especially at the defensive back position, it’s a really high standard. That’s what I’m looking for, along with getting to compete against the top teams every week. You’re going to get that in the SEC.”
When did you know that’s what you were going to do?
“When I leave a school on a visit, you leave a school fresh – every school you go to, it’s going to feel like you want to be at the school, because of the love you feel from the coaches. Then, three, four or five days afterwards, I’d always go back to South Carolina, in my head. That just let me know, really, that’s where I felt strongest about. At South Carolina, when I would leave, it would stay there until I go to the next school. The other schools, it would be five or six days, then back on my mind is South Carolina.”
What was it like when you came to South Carolina’s camp, you worked personally with Muschamp?
“He did a great job working with me personally. He just showed me a lot of small things that I was doing wrong … I was able to use my body in better ways, as in taking better angles, positioning myself to move faster, explode better. He was just showing me how to use my body.”
When you think back to (the offer), what did that mean to you, to get that first SEC offer?
“When some of these schools offer you, you don’t know if it’s because another school offered you, but when they offered me, it was just like, they looked me dead in my face and said, ‘I don’t know how many offers you’ve got.’ It was four, at the time. They said, ‘We think you’re a heck of a talent and we want you to come play here.’ That just let me know they actually saw something in me and not just hopped on the bandwagon, like some schools do. I’m not saying someone did it.”
With Muschamp, did he ever sit you down and show you film and talk to you about the stuff that you’ll be doing?
“When I go up there, I always sit in the film room and watch, like when they were practicing, I came in and watched that with him.”
What are some of the things he does with safeties that you feel like you would excel at?
“He does a lot of the same things that we do … we run two high safeties and break it up into two different parts, let you play closer to the line and one plays further back.”
What did you think of T-Rob? He’s kind of a high-energy guy.
“Great dude. That’s my man. I know that when I get there, it’s not going to be all the joking and laughter. But, at the same time, he’s going to show you love and tell you the truth. That’s all you can ask for.”
SECCOUNTRY
August 19, 2016
CONCORD, N.C. – High school football still means an awful lot to Hamsah Nasirildeen.
On Thursday night, just two days removed from his commitment to South Carolina, Concord High School squared off with longtime rival A.L. Brown High School. Concord lost a heartbreaker, 31-19.
Nasirildeen, a 4-star prospect and the highest-rated commitment in the Gamecocks 2017 class, was emotional in the aftermath. Hamsah Nasirildeen Sr. was there with both shoulders.
About 10 minutes after the embrace with his father, the No. 139 overall prospect in the country gave thoughtful answers to the series of questions from the reporters representing SEC Country and Rivals.
Q: Why South Carolina?
A: “It felt great to get it out of the way, so I could focus on this year. I chose South Carolina because of my relationship with coach (Will) Muschamp, coach (Travaris Robinson) and coach (Bobby) Bentley, really everybody on the staff, even guys that aren’t even coaches. Just being able to be there and feel comfortable from home, the distance from home itself are really good. And the development that coach Muschamp and his staff, especially at the defensive back position, it’s a really high standard. That’s what I’m looking for, along with getting to compete against the top teams every week. You’re going to get that in the SEC.”
When did you know that’s what you were going to do?
“When I leave a school on a visit, you leave a school fresh – every school you go to, it’s going to feel like you want to be at the school, because of the love you feel from the coaches. Then, three, four or five days afterwards, I’d always go back to South Carolina, in my head. That just let me know, really, that’s where I felt strongest about. At South Carolina, when I would leave, it would stay there until I go to the next school. The other schools, it would be five or six days, then back on my mind is South Carolina.”
What was it like when you came to South Carolina’s camp, you worked personally with Muschamp?
“He did a great job working with me personally. He just showed me a lot of small things that I was doing wrong … I was able to use my body in better ways, as in taking better angles, positioning myself to move faster, explode better. He was just showing me how to use my body.”
When you think back to (the offer), what did that mean to you, to get that first SEC offer?
“When some of these schools offer you, you don’t know if it’s because another school offered you, but when they offered me, it was just like, they looked me dead in my face and said, ‘I don’t know how many offers you’ve got.’ It was four, at the time. They said, ‘We think you’re a heck of a talent and we want you to come play here.’ That just let me know they actually saw something in me and not just hopped on the bandwagon, like some schools do. I’m not saying someone did it.”
With Muschamp, did he ever sit you down and show you film and talk to you about the stuff that you’ll be doing?
“When I go up there, I always sit in the film room and watch, like when they were practicing, I came in and watched that with him.”
What are some of the things he does with safeties that you feel like you would excel at?
“He does a lot of the same things that we do … we run two high safeties and break it up into two different parts, let you play closer to the line and one plays further back.”
What did you think of T-Rob? He’s kind of a high-energy guy.
“Great dude. That’s my man. I know that when I get there, it’s not going to be all the joking and laughter. But, at the same time, he’s going to show you love and tell you the truth. That’s all you can ask for.”
SECCOUNTRY
