He’s always played hard, now NC State’s Payton Wilson is also playing smart
Depending on who you ask, you’ll get an interesting answer when it comes to describing No. 23 N.C. State linebacker Payton Wilson and the things he does on the football field.
“The kid’s a freak,” Wolfpack offensive guard Joe Sculthorpe said about Wilson.
N.C. State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson wasn’t as blunt as Sculthorpe, but did acknowledge Wilson’s approach to the game is unique.
“He’s an interesting guy,” Gibson said. “But you love the effort that he plays with.”
Effort was never an issue with Wilson, the redshirt sophomore who is coming off a career day versus Duke. Wilson finished with 19 tackles and two interceptions against the Blue Devils. Heading into Saturday’s contest at No. 14 North Carolina (3-1, 3-1), Wilson leads the team in tackles despite missing one game this season.
Last year he was the top tackler on the team and only started one game. If you let the coaches tell it, he did all that as a redshirt freshman despite not yet knowing how to really play the game. All the 6-4, 240 pound Hillsborough, N.C. native knew was to run fast and hit hard.
Wilson played his freshman year like a bull in a china shop, causing chaos, yes, making plays, occasionally, but not truly playing the position the right way at the collegiate level. It’s been a slow process, even spilling over into this season, but Dave Doeren and Gibson have seen the evaluation first hand.
“He was just running into things when the season started,” Doeren said.
Against Duke, Doeren saw Wilson using his hands to separate from blocks, keeping himself alive in the play. He’s doing a better job as a blitzer, finding ways to slither through traffic instead of blasting into blockers full speed, allowing linemen to get their hands on him.
At Orange High School, Wilson was just bigger and faster than everyone else. All he knew was run to ball carrier, hit ball carrier. And that worked. In college he quickly learned some offensive linemen are just as quick as he is, and the game is played just as much between the ears as it is on the grass.
He’s instincts have always been there, but now Wilson is taking what Gibson, also the linebackers coach, is teaching during the week and applying it on Saturday’s. What Wolfpack fans are seeing is the high caliber player they expected when he committed to N.C. State three years ago, arriving in Raleigh as the fourth best player in the state, and the second highest Wolfpack commit during the Doeren era.
“He’s not only a great reactor and has a feel for the game, but he knows (the game) so much better,” Gibson said. “He knows their (opposing offenses) plan of attack, he knows certain situations or schemes they are giving us. I think all of that plays into it and he’s a lot more mature and he knows how to play the game.”
And Gibson never has to worry about coaching effort, always a bonus.
“It’s unbelievable because you don’t have to yell at a kid every snap to get to the ball, fly to the ball,” Gibson said. “He loves the game. He loves to play it, loves to practice and he’s a competitor. He hates to lose a rep.”
That passion for the game today comes from all the reps he lost a few years ago.
Wilson’s slow start at NCSU
Ask Wilson why he plays so hard, every snap, at a high level and he immediately has a source of inspiration.
“I missed two years due to injuries. Before those two injuries football was just football to me and I never realized how fast something could be taken away from us,” Wilson said. “So every day I go out there I look at it as if it could be my last day and would I be happy with what I put on the field? If I didn’t put all my effort on the field I know I wouldn’t be able to accept myself.”
During his senior year at Orange High School, Wilson, a three-sport athlete who thrived in wrestling (state champion) and lacrosse, tore his ACL in October of 2017. To get a jump on rehab, Wilson enrolled at N.C. State in January of 2018. But he had a setback in July of 2018, reinjuring his right knee, forcing him to redshirt the 2018 season.
He came into college with expectations through the roof, but spent the year on the sidelines, in a knee brace. Watching and rehabbing made Wilson realize each snap is valuable.
“I praise God that he put me through that to understand that this game can be taken away really fast,” Wilson said. “The hardest part was the mental, just staying on top of everything, staying happy and just knowing that it was for a reason.”
He made his N.C. State debut in 2019 and despite just one start, led the team with 69 tackles. He also had one interception. Wilson only knew one speed and that was full speed from the time he put his helmet on. That includes practice.
“He definitely (practices) with a sense of urgency that you see closely resembles what he’s doing on Saturday,” Sculthorpe said.
The scary part is, according to Doeren, Wilson is just now getting into game shape. Like many of his teammates, Wilson missed time during fall camp due to COVID-19 contact tracing. In the opener against Wake Forest there were times late in the game Wilson had his hand on his hips, showing fatigue, but didn’t come off the field.
He suffered a concussion in the opener, missed the game next week against Virginia Tech and played a season-high 83 snaps the next week against Pittsburgh, finishing with eight tackles. He played 80 snaps in a win over Virginia and 74 against Duke, his best game in a Wolfpack uniform.
“When they told me 19 tackles I wasn’t shocked,” Gibson said. “I don’t know if I would have guessed that number if you would have asked me before looking at the stats. You always know Payton is going to be around the ball.”
Wilson is averaging 11 tackles per game, good enough for sixth in the FBS. At the end of nearly every pile, look for No. 11 somewhere nearby. Even if that’s not always a good thing. Last week against Duke, Wilson was called for a personal foul after pushing Blue Devils quarterback Chase Brice after he stepped out of bounds. Wilson ran half way across the field and didn’t let up once Brice got near the sidelines. That’s when the coaches have to find a way to use that intensity properly.
“It’s similar to how Bradley Chubb (former defensive end) was here,” Doeren said. “Sometimes his aggression gets the best of him, you know, and he’s got to really learn how to channel that and use it every play the right way.”
But they won’t ask him to slow down. Gibson knows it won’t matter, anyway if they did. Wilson is going to play hard and fast each snap. Gibson told a story that perfectly describes Wilson’s all out approach to the game that he noticed while watching film from practice.
“He’ll be sprinting to the ball,” Gibson said. “And he gets lined up and he’s in his stance puking out of his helmet. You can see puke flying, he gets it all out and goes to the next play. He’s a throwback player.”
UNC-State commitment drama
After the win over the Blue Devils, Wilson told reporters that growing up his family had season tickets to Duke games. He sort of grew up rooting for the Blue Devils and had a big day against the team he watched as a kid. What does he do for an encore this week against the team he almost played for?
In 2017 Wilson was one of the top linebackers in the country and the summer before his senior year, he committed to Larry Fedora and North Carolina, picking the Tar Heels over Virginia Tech, Clemson and Ohio State.
In November of the same year, however, Wilson announced he was decommitting from UNC. Four days later he was in the stands at Carter-Finley Stadium when N.C. State hosted North Carolina. Two weeks later he committed to Doeren and the Wolfpack.
Over the years, it’s not uncommon for an in-state player to have offers from the two rivals, especially one with credentials like Wilsons. But it was rare for a player to pick one, change his mind, then pick the rival.
“I felt like I did fit in (at UNC) at the time,” Wilson said in December of 2018 “I felt like I had an early chance to play and could make an impact, but, I don’t know, it just changed over time,” he said.
Wilson posted his commitment to N.C. State on Twitter, which left him open to public taunts and not so kind words from UNC fans who felt scorn. Wilson said he still gets messages from Carolina fans, especially after UNC’s 31-point win in Raleigh a year ago. He’s gotten some this week as well, but doesn’t let it bother him.
“I hear from UNC fans all the time, just on social media and stuff, but I learned at a young age not to bother with social media,” Wilson said on Wednesday. “People on social media do not affect me at all, I don’t lose sleep over them. So I wouldn’t say that it motivates me to play harder, but everyone knows that this is a rivalry game so I think that is enough motivation to play and practice a little bit harder.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 1:28 PM with the headline "He’s always played hard, now NC State’s Payton Wilson is also playing smart."
