Florida State football's game against North Alabama on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium will be the third senior day for offensive lineman D'Mitri Emmanuel .
He celebrated senior day for the first time when he was in Charlotte in 2021 before transferring to FSU. He celebrated last year, not knowing if his eligibility waiver was going to get approved.
However, nearing the end of his seventh collegiate season, Emmanuel is gearing up for one final celebration.
"I've been blessed to have all seven years," Emmanuel said. "I'm just really grateful to be here and I just appreciate the moment and the last one in Doak. It's been a crazy off-season and since I've been here this has been a really special place to play at."
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Same as the last two senior nights, Emmanuel's family is coming in from Charlotte and planning on celebrating once again, but this isn't the last time he'll see them this season. He's preparing for another reunion at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 2 for the ACC Championship Game.
Emmanuel said getting to play in the ACC Championship is a "full-circle" moment for him. He grew up in Charlotte, watching that game from the stands and now gets a chance to play in it.
"It's been crazy," Emmanuel said. "In 2017, signing with Charlotte out of high school, and being from Charlotte, to know, transferring to Florida State, I get to play the ACC Championship in Charlotte. It's been a full-circle moment for me. It's been great."
The moment means a lot to him. Growing up in the "Queen City", it was always about who was coming to town to play in the ACC Championship game. From Florida State to Clemson to Virginia Tech to Miami, Emmanuel has the opportunity to write his name into that lore.
"Just playing the game is going to be big," Emmanuel said. "Then there's playing in front of the home crowd again where I grew up. It's going to be big for sure. Anyone who supported me from my whole career is going to be there, so there's going to be a lot of people there for sure."
Emmanuel will be graduating with his second degree in social studies. He already has a degree in Social Justice/Sociology.
Who:No. 4 FSU (10-0) vs. North Alabama (3-7)
When/where:6:30 p.m., Saturday, Doak Campbell Stadium
TV/Radio:The CW Network/94.9 FM
Live game updates:www.Tallahassee.com; @Ehsan_Kassim, @jackgwilliams and @JimHenryTALLY on X, formerly Twitter
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's D'Mitri Emmanuel preparing for emotional senior day, ACC Championship
