NC State linebacker Payton Wilson reflects on his final season in Raleigh

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NC State graduate linebacker Payton Wilson wore a tuxedo as he stood inside the Charlotte Convention Center hours before the Nagurski Trophy ceremony Monday evening. It is not the usual outfit for the Pack’s defensive leader, but it is one he will have to get used to wearing. 

While he did not win the award — Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts did — there are still two more ceremonies that Wilson will take part in as a finalist this month: the Bednarik (best defensive player) and Butkus (best linebacker).

But let’s go back to the tuxedo. 

Wilson’s mindset is similar to that of NC State’s as a football program: blue collar and tough. The fancy outfit and dinner party is not what Wilson would don on a usual Monday night — or often at all. 

“It’s pretty cool, definitely different for me,” Wilson said with a laugh. “I’m not used to all the glitz and glamor at NC State. But it’s an honor to be around some of these great players. … To be able to represent NC State, it’s an honor for me.”

Though it is not Wilson’s preferred outfit, he earned the opportunity to be on college football’s top stages for defensive players after he led the ACC with 138 total tackles, including 17.5 tackles for a loss with 6 sacks, 6 passes defended, 3 interceptions and a forced fumble this fall. 

Not a bad way to cap a six-year career in the Wolfpack’s red and white. 

Wilson, a player who battled injuries for his first four years in Raleigh, was able to put together back-to-back healthy years, and the fruits of his labor paid off. 

“I’ve always known what I could do,” Wilson said. “But just to be able to stay healthy for two complete seasons and having that confidence to go out there and make every single play that I’m supposed to make, it’s just really awesome for this season to happen for me.”

The return for his final season was a risk, but Wilson wanted to prove that he could stay on the field for another 12-game season. And he did just that, as he avoided any major injuries and only left one game early banged up. 

Just like he said he knew he was capable of putting together an All-America caliber stat line, he exuded that same confidence when he talked about a full-season schedule on the field.

“I think I just knew that was in me the whole time, the ability to play in all 12 games,” Wilson said. “Coach [Tony] Gibson just did an awesome job with us this year instilling that confidence in us. That’s always been me, I’ve always thought that of myself.”

The Hillsborough, N.C., native recorded 403 total tackles in his five seasons on the field with the Pack, and he became just the sixth NC State player to eclipse 400 stops in a career. 

But ask Wilson, and there is still more he thought he could have done this season. 

“I don’t ever truly set personal goals, I’m always a hard critic of myself,” Wilson said. “I never think I played as good as I should have. Just to see the group that we had, the relationships that I built with the linebacker room, the defensive room, and the relationships that I built across Wolfpack Nation, coming back for this year was one of my best decisions.”

While he was able to be a dominant force on the field during his final season with the Wolfpack, Wilson’s biggest step forward as a football player came off the field. The linebacker who followed the lead of those who came before him, including Drake Thomas and Isaiah Moore, became the team leader. 

It was a learning experience, but Wilson seemed to pass that test with flying colors. He was the vocal leader of the Pack this season — the one who demanded better from his teammates when the team was struggling at the midway point. But that all worked itself out following the team’s bye week with a five-game winning streak afterward.

“That’s just something that coming back for this sixth year really helped me with,” Wilson said of his growth in leadership.

Wilson has been the heart and soul of the Wolfpack’s defense, but he will not be in the middle of it next fall. Though that is the reality of college football, he was excited for the future of the Pack’s linebacking corps. 

And he hopes that it will not be long before another linebacker follows in Wilson’s footsteps on the national awards stages, just like he did in following the likes of Bradley Chubb, Levar Fisher and others on that path. 

“This year, you got to see a glimpse of Devon Betty and Caden Fordham,” Wilson said. “I’m just super excited for those guys to be out there for every snap, as well as getting the experience and the confidence so eventually we’ll see them on these stages.”

Wilson is aware of the legacy that he has left as he readies to depart Raleigh. It is important to him, and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year does not put much weight in the trophies that are soon to come.

Those are impressive accomplishments, but he would rather be celebrated for what he did on and off the field. 

“The awards are cool for me, but I want my legacy to be how people viewed me and how I treated people,” Wilson said. “The awards are awesome to have, but I just want people to remember me for who I am, and not for the glitz and glamor.”

That will not be hard to do as Wilson has been the epitome of the Wolfpack culture during his time in the program. And more than likely, it will not be long before his name is displayed on the NC State Ring of Honor alongside the best in the Pack’s history.