NC State LB Payton Wilson named 2023 Chuck Bednarik Award and Butkus Award winner

On Friday, NC State linebacker Payton Wilson was named the 2023 Chuck Bednarik Award winner. The Maxwell Football Club annually gives the award to the best defensive player in the nation. Wilson earned the award over UCLA Laiatu Latu and Alabama’s Dallas Turner.

Wilson will happily add another trophy to the collection. Wilson already won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award and the Butkus Award this year. However, this honor proves he’s not only the best LB in the nation, but the best defensive player, in general.

The statistics back up this lofty claim. Wilson led the ACC and ranked fifth in the FBS in tackles (11.5 per game)and was also the league leader in tackles for loss with 17.5 – the sixth-most in the nation. Further, he notched six sacks, broke up 10 passes, caused a fumble, recovered two more, and pulled down three interceptions, returning one for a score.

Despite sitting atop a prestigious pile of players, Wilson refused to boast about his shining accomplishment.

“Everybody kind of bought in at the end of the season, especially on the defensive side,” Wilson said on ESPN. “Everybody was just clicking and we were playing fast and we were playing as physical and as confident as we possibly could.

“Coach Doeren just told us to let it loose after that Duke game, and that’s something that we did as a team. I don’t think that I did anything in particular, I think it was more of a team effort.”

More on the Chuck Bednarik Award

Wilson is only the latest selection in a long list of highly-touted talents. The Maxwell Football Club provided more information behind its selection process.

“The Maxwell Football Club has had over three-quarters of a century selecting the promising talent of tomorrow with educated accuracy,” the club wrote. “Recognizing talented players at the earliest stages of their careers has been a Maxwell standard. In fact, a majority of our Maxwell Award winners have experienced continued success at the professional level with several going on to be legends of the game.

“In 1935 when the Club was founded, weekly meetings consisted of informal sessions with football officials, coaches and the public to talk about the previous weekend’s games. At these meetings local high school and college players were honored. The Maxwell Football Club is the first organization to honor football from beginner to professional.

“The Maxwell Football Club first presented its namesake award in 1937. In 1959, following the death of its founder Bert Bell, The Maxwell Football Club’s Professional Player of the Year Award was instituted and christened the Bert Bell Trophy. The inaugural presentation of the Jim Henry Award to the Tri-State High School Player of the Year in 1985 and the addition of The National High School Player in 2007, the Maxwell Football Club solidified its status as the preeminent organization with a keen view of excellence at all levels of football.”