NC State redshirt freshman outside linebacker Payton Wilson knows the exact moment and play when he injured his knee the first time.
Wilson was the do-it-all star for Hillsborough (N.C.) Orange High, and on the opening kickoff against town-rival Cedar Ridge on Oct. 27, 2017, he suffered a torn ACL that ended his senior season. He didn’t know right away how serious the injury was.
“I had never really had a major injury like that,” Wilson said.
The injury might have dashed Wilson’s hopes of playing in high school all-star games, but he was mentally equipped to handle the bad news. He had his second recruitment to keep him busy during that time.
He had committed to North Carolina over Clemson and Virginia Tech originally, and then decommitted from the Tar Heels. He picked NC State over Notre Dame and others in the sequel of his recruitment.
What he didn’t see coming was a repeat ACL tear during the spring of his freshman year after enrolling early at NC State in 2018. That news was devastating. He was finally cleared following the Kay Yow Spring Game, which took place April 6, 2019.
“I think it was a few days after the spring game before we went on our break,” recalled Wilson. “It was an exciting time. I was finally cleared.”
Wilson has added about 10 pounds since high school and thinks he’s improved his athleticism across the board. He credits NC State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Dave Huxtable, strength and conditioning coach Dantonio “Thunder” Burnette and head coach Dave Doeren for guiding him through the second ACL tear.
“I feel like I have improved a lot,” Wilson said. “That is thanks to Coach Hux, Coach Thunder and Coach Doeren, and also the training staff getting me ready to play.”
Wilson finally returned to live action this past Saturday when the Wolfpack held an intra-squad scrimmage.
“That was the first time I had gotten live play and it was exciting,” Wilson said. “I’m just excited for the season. I walked out here and was like, ‘Man, I’m back.’
“The first few practices, I was 100 miles per hour the whole time, trying to get to the ball. Now, I’m starting to slow down and read stuff.”
Rivals.com ranked the four-star prospect No. 166 overall in the country, No. 8 overall in the state of North Carolina and the No. 13 outside linebacker in the nation in the class of 2018.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Wilson played a variety of positions in high school, from linebacker to tight end to wingback. He also was a dominant special teams performer. He had 103 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in the eight games he played his senior year. He also tallied 15 catches for 263 yards and four touchdowns, plus rushed 67 times for 222 yards and five scores on offense.
Playing linebacker is his favorite spot on the field.
“I’ve been playing a lot of positions since I was a little kid, and I’m going to miss being on the offensive side of the ball, just having fun with it,” Wilson said. “I am just focusing on one position and perfecting my craft.”
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