24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER
BY ETHAN MCDOWELL
hen Payton Wilson
ran onto NC State's
practice field Aug. 3,
he was holding back
tears. Wilson's jour-
ney back to the field
for his redshirt ju-
nior season with the
Wolfpack was lengthy, full of hard work
and gratitude, something his linebacker
peers, and most of the defense, can relate
to.
A preseason All-ACC pick, Wilson
ended up missing most of the 2021 cam-
paign with a shoulder injury. He's back
now, though, 100 percent healthy. Along-
side a pair of All-ACC linebackers — su-
per senior Isaiah Moore and fourth-year
junior Drake Thomas — Wilson is ready
to make plays on Saturdays once again.
"I do love this game," he said after his
first practice back. "I've been playing this
game since I was 5 years old, and I put
my whole heart into it. Every day I go out
there, I practice as hard as I can. So, to be
back out there, it means the world to me."
Head coach Dave Doeren saw those
emotions from his linebackers and the
rest of the team after the Pack's first pre-
season practice session.
W
Power Trio
After An Injury-Plagued 2021 Campaign, NC State's Veteran
Linebacker Corps Eagerly Awaits Its Final Season Together
Payton Wilson was a first-team All-ACC choice
after leading the conference in tackles per game
(10.8) in 2020, but he played in only two games
last year due to a shoulder injury.
PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN
