NC State’s Payton Wilson named ESPN Midseason All-American
Another week, another midseason All-American honor rolled in for NC State graduate linebacker Payton Wilson on Monday. This time, it was ESPN that named the standout Wolfpack defender to its list.
“It hasn’t been a great season for the Wolfpack, but Wilson has been a tackling machine. He ranks second among Power 5 defenders with 81 total tackles,” ESPN’s Chris Lowe wrote. “The sixth-year senior is a sure tackler in space from his outside linebacker spot, and he has great instincts. One of those guys who just seems to find the football, Wilson has four sacks to go along with an interception and two fumble recoveries.”
The Hillsborough, N.C., native has been the heart and soul of NC State’s defense this season. He’s posted an ACC-best 81 tackles, tied for the four-most in the FBS, with four sacks and an interception. Wilson has also added three passes defended and two fumble recoveries in the middle of the Wolfpack’s defense. His 39 solo tackles are tied for the fifth-most in the FBS as well.
ESPN chose Wilson over Old Dominion linebacker Jason Henderson, who was named the honorable mention as he leads the FBS in total tackles for the second straight season.
Wilson has also garnered the same award from Pro Football Focus and the Reese’s Senior Bowl for his standout play this fall.
“Wilson is the only Power Five linebacker who has earned 75.0-plus grades as a run defender, pass-rusher and coverage player,” PFF’s Max Chadwick wrote last week. “He ranks second among that same group with 46 plays of making first contact with the ball carrier and nine tackles for loss or no gain.”
Wilson currently holds an overall 80.9 PFF grade, which includes a 76.9 run defense mark, a 82.1 tackling score, a 72.5 pass rush total and a 78.4 coverage total.
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He has also been named the ACC’s linebacker of the week three times this season, in addition to receiving the Butkus Award National Linebacker of the Month honors at the end of September.
Wilson received preseason All-American honors from Athlon Sports last season and he was a first-team All-ACC linebacker during the 2020 campaign. During his standout COVID-19 season, Wilson garnered ACC linebacker of the week awards three times — which he has already matched through his team’s first seven games this fall.
The linebacker is the only NC State player to receive multiple Midseason All-American accolades this fall. Redshirt sophomore kick returner Julian Gray made PFF’s second team as a return specialist last week.
Gray is fourth in the country in kick returns with an average of 28.6 yards per attempt on 14 tries through the team’s first seven games.
