NC State linebacker Payton Wilson wins Bednarik Award
NC State might want to expand its trophy case in the Murphy Center. Graduate linebacker Payton Wilson won the Bednarik Award, which honors the best defensive player in college football, Friday night during the Home Depot College Football Awards show.
Wilson became the first NC State player to win the award, just as he did with the Butkus earlier this week, which honors the best linebacker in college football.
The Hillsborough, N.C., native beat out Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner and UCLA defensive lineman Laiatu Latu to become the 28th winner of the Bednarik Award.
Wilson is just the fifth player from a current ACC school to win the honor as he joined Miami’s Dan Morgan (2000), North Carolina’s Julius Peppers (2001) and Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald (2013).
The ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year led the conference with 138 tackles and led the league with 17.5 tackles for a loss. Wilson also logged six sacks, six passes defended, three interceptions — including a pick-six — and a forced fumble this fall.
The linebacker posted the third-highest Pro Football Focus coverage grade of any player at his position that played more than 700 defensive snaps this fall with a 90.4 mark. He led the Pack with that grade, and he paced NC State in every defensive category, according to PFF.
Wilson was also a finalist for the Nagurski Award, which also honors the best defensive player, and is voted on by the Football Writers of America Association. Notre Dame defensive back Xavier Watts beat out Wilson and three others for the Nagurski on Monday night in Charlotte.
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The Bednarik is voted on by a group, including head coaches, members of the Maxwell Football Club and select media around the country.
Wilson is one of five NC State players to record at least 400 career tackles in the red and white. He finished with 402 tackles in his six seasons, including 48 tackles for a loss with 15 sacks, 20 passes defended and seven interceptions. Wilson has not decided whether he will play in the Wolfpack’s Pop-Tarts Bowl appearance later this month.
The Bednarik was the final national award that Wilson was a finalist for, but that will not stop the honors from flowing in. He has already been named to six All-America teams by national media outlets around the country, but the five major lists will be released within the next week.
If Wilson finds himself on at least three of the five — Walter Camp (Dec. 8), Football Writers of America (Dec. 11), Associated Press (Dec. 11), the AFCA Coaches (Dec. 12) and Sporting News (Dec. 13) — then he would become the 10th consensus All-American in NC State history.
