The diehard NC State Wolfpack and North Carolina Tar Heel football fans know the name Payton Wilson, but for the novel or casual followers, here is the background.
Wilson was a blue chip four-star prospect in the 2018 class coming out of Orange High in Hillsborough, N.C. Rivals.com ranked him at No. 166 in the Rivals250. He originally announced his intention to play for nearby North Carolina, but around Thanksgiving, Wilson revealed he was decommitting from the Tar Heels.
His new options were NC State and Notre Dame, and once head coach Dave Doeren of the Wolfpack turned down an offer at Tennessee, that sealed Wilson’s decision to commit to UNC’s archrival in football — NC State.
NC State fans were especially happy about that then and now — a week after he was the ACC Linebacker of the Week for making 19 tackles and two interceptions against Duke.
UNC fans apparently have also not forgotten, two years later.
“I hear from UNC fans all the time, just on social media and stuff,” Wilson admitted. “I learned at a younger age to not really bother with social media. Everyone always has something to say. … People on social media do not affect me at all.
"I don’t even think of them, so I wouldn’t say that it motivated me to play harder, but everyone knows this is a rivalry game. I think that is enough motivation to practice just a little bit harder.”
It’ll be a bit of a family affair for the Wilsons, as his older brother Bryce Wilson, fresh off pitching well for the Atlanta Braves in the MLB Playoffs before they were knocked out by the Los Angeles Dodgers in game seven of the National League Championship Series, will be in attendance.
Growing up, Wilson’s family were season-ticket holders for Duke football games. Football was always fun for Wilson, but recently he came to realize how much it meant to him. It explains why Wilson tends to play at full throttle.
“I missed two years due to injury,” Wilson explained, referring to torn ACLs suffered in his senior year of high school and then in the spring after he enrolled in 2018. “Before I got injured, football was just football for me. I never realized how fast something could be taken away from us.
“So every day I go out there, I look at it as if it could be my last day.”
While Wilson may have some personal history with UNC and know some of the opposing players this Saturday, particularly those who were in the 2018 recruiting class, Wilson truly treats every game the same.
“It’s UNC vs. NC State,” Wilson said. “It’s a normal Saturday for me. I’m ready to play ball.”
It cannot be a solo effort though. Wilson, who thus far this year leads NC State with 44 tackles despite missing the loss at Virginia Tech, knows that containing UNC’s highly prolific offense led by star sophomore quarterback Sam Howell will not be easy.
Wilson praised Howell, noting that he’s tough to tackle in the pocket. Ultimately though, he sees Saturday about NC State sticking together.
“Whenever we practice hard and play together, like the last two weeks, I think everyone has seen the defense has really stepped it up and matured,” Wilson said. “Schemes are always great. Coach [Tony] Gibson and the other coaches do a great job of telling us what we need to do and who we need to stop, but it’s just a matter of us playing together as one pack, one goal.”
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