Payton Wilson: "Every Decision is About the Team"
NC State linebacker Payton Wilson met with the media after the Wolfpack named him as one of the team's captains for the 2023 season.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Wilson’s interview.
On being named a team captain...
It’s just a good honor. Here at State, we let the players pick the captains. It’s an honor that my teammates look at me that way, and to get that many votes feels very special.
If the team is out of fall camp…
We actually ended our last official day of camp on Saturday. Everything we’ve done since Saturday has been UConn-focused. We’re in game-planning. Today was first downs and second downs. We’re hitting it pretty hard now.
On the Huskies…
Last year when we played them, they were pretty beat up after they left here. They were 1-4, but they ended up winning a lot of games and making it to a bowl game. They ended up beating BC and Liberty. They’re a team that returns a lot of people, so we’ve got to go in with our head up high. We’ve got to play every game the same exact way. We’ve got to prepare the same exact way for every game.
On what he can learn from how Isaiah Moore conducted himself as a leader…
Everything that you do, whether you agree with it or not, you have to have the best interest of the team. It’s no longer about yourself. Every decision that you make is about the team, and everything that you do has to be for wins and for everybody’s best interest.
On how the offense has come together, as a defensive player…
This whole fall camp, it was really tough going against that offense. It’s something I’d never seen before. Just to see that progress since the spring, it’s been amazing. They’re flying around, playing with so much tempo, and it’s awesome to see the way they came together and bonded on that side of the ball.
On being named on the team’s “freaks list…”
Coach [Dantonio Burnette] was actually the one who came up to me and told me. It’s another cool accolade. Shoutout to Coach Thunder and the work he does with us and the way that he transforms our bodies and turns us into who we are. It’s pretty cool to be on that list with some of those guys who are on there.
On the linebacker corps…
It’s definitely different, but we’re honestly a lot faster. Drake [Thomas] and Zay were amazing players, but Devon Betty and Jaylon Scott are people who just fly around, and they’re just as smart. I don’t think we’re going to see any falloff. If anything, we’ve gotten better.
On UConn’s offense…
Their quarterbacks are fast, whether it’s the one we played against last year [Zion Turner] or it’s the one who was injured [Ta’Quan Roberson]. Honestly, their whole offense is just very fast. Their offensive coordinator [Nick Charlton] is very experienced, and he knows how to use their speed, so we’ve got to put edges on our defense and make sure we keep them contained.
On where UConn will test him individually…
It’s a matter of “eye candy.” It’s a team with a lot of motion and stuff like that. We have to make sure, as linebackers, we’re very focused in on our triangle and on our keys.
On focusing on returning to school versus professional aspirations…
I like to be where my feet are at. Before I made the decision last year, I was focused on going into each game. After I made that decision, I just continued to train hard for this upcoming season.