Two NC State linebackers tabbed as Athlon preseason all-Americans
Between a strong NC State contingent on its preseason All-ACC teams and a No. 12 ranking in the preseason poll, Athlon Sports has consistently hyped up the Wolfpack heading into the 2022 season. That continued today when the publication announced linebackers Payton Wilson and Drake Thomas received spots on its preseason All-American teams.
Athlon released a total of four teams, and Wilson and Thomas appeared on the second and third teams, respectively. Before introducing the teams, Athlon pointed out that this list is meant to predict future success and is not entirely based on past accolades.
“These selections are based on how players will perform in 2022,” Athlon’s Steven Lassan wrote. “Career statistics and previous awards matter in player evaluation, but choosing players for the 2022 All-America team and all-conference teams is largely based on predicting and projecting the upcoming year.”
Wilson is the first member of the Pack to make an appearance on the prestigious list. After missing the majority of last season due to injury, Wilson is back this year and ready to reestablish himself as one of the nation’s top linebackers. As a first-team All-ACC selection in 2020, the senior led the entire conference in tackles and averaged a league-leading 10.8 tackles per game.
Thomas put up All-ACC numbers last year, leading the team in tackles with 100 and interceptions with three. He returns this year to join Isaiah Moore, who’s also back after an injury last season, and Wilson to form an elite linebacker core. Moore has also appeared on multiple all-conference teams during his time at NC State.
Wilson received a spot on the preseason All-ACC first team after leading the ACC in tackles two years ago, and Moore was selected to the third team. Thomas also received first-team all-conference accolades from both Athlon and Phil Steele.
NC State is one of two programs, joining Alabama, who can boast two linebackers on the preseason all-american teams this year. The SEC led all conferences with 29 total selections, and the ACC is tied for last in the power-five conferences at 16 with the Big XII.
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