NC State defenders reveal what they appreciate most about DC Tony Gibson

For the past two seasons, NC State‘s defenses have been absolutely dominant under defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.

The Wolfpack were the ACC’s second-best scoring defense in 2021 and took the jump to the number one unit in 2022, holding opponents to just 19.4 points per game. But a pair of NC State defenders revealed that Gibson’s attention to detail has been one of the key ingredients in their defensive recepie for success.

“Something that Coach Gibson is really amazing at is giving us small tendencies and small keys that we can actually focus on,” linebacker Payton Wilson said at ACC Media Days. “You know how some coaches are very complicated and they give you certain stuff that’s kind of complicated? Every game we’re going in with a key on either the left tackle, the right guard, whoever it is whether it’s a run or pass. We always have really good keys and credit to Coach Gibson for that because he’s really good at what he does, but every game we go into a tackle’s usually giving us something that we really like.”

Wilson was a direct beneficiary of Gibson’s promotion to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2020, immediately having a career-high 108 tackles that season to lead the team. He had 83 tackles and a career-high 4.5 sacks last season for the Wolfpack, but wasn’t the only player that can speak to Gibson’s defensive prowess.

“He’s so football smart, I can’t even fathom how smart he is,” defensive back Aydan White said. “One thing I like about Coach Gibson is if we mess up and we play hard he’s okay with it, so we’re out there playing free. So that’s good for us.”

It’s clear that Gibson’s high football IQ and the confidence he instills in his players has resulted in success for NC State’s defense. But the energy he brings to the table as well makes him a rare triple threat that’s easy for his players to get behind.

“Being in linebacker meetings with him every day, like Aydan just said, sometimes you can’t even fathom how he’s coming up with some of this stuff that he does,” Wilson said. “But it’s also just the energy he brings, everyone sees Coach Gibson, a little short guy, but the energy he brings is unreal, it’s unmatched, and it’s just awesome. As a defensive player that’s someone you want to play for, someone who gives their all every day.”