NC State LB Payton Wilson ready for 2022 season: ‘This is the best my body has ever felt’

NC State linebacker Payton Wilson told reporters on Wednesday that he’s rejuvenated and ready for the 2022 season.

Wilson was a first-team All-ACC linebacker in 2020, but missed nearly the entire 2021 season due to a shoulder injury. Now healthy, Wilson is back alongside Drake Thomas and Isaiah Moore in NC State’s loaded linebacker corps.

“This is t

he best my body has ever felt,” Wilson said Wednesday, via On3. “I’m as big as I’ve ever been, I weigh the most and I think I’m as fast as I’ve ever been as well.

“When I was walking on the field today, I had to hold back tears … Because I do love this game. 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.”

Wilson is currently listed at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds.

Wilson’s breakout season in 2020 saw him total 108 t

ackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in just 10 games of action. He also has 3 interceptions and 3 pass deflections in his career.

He’s amongst a group of 4 former first-team All-ACC defenders who are on this NC State defense. That continuity — as well as the return of quarterback Devin Leary — is a big reason why the Wolfpack are projected to be in the mix to win the Atlantic this season.

NC State is looking for its first 10-win season is over 20 years. Coach Dave Doeren has previously won 9 games in 3 different seasons, including the 2021 campaign.

NC State opens the 2022 season with East Carolina on Sept. 3.