Payton Wilson: "I've Given Everything I Possibly Could Have Given"
No. 22 NC State linebacker Payton Wilson met with the media via Zoom following the Wolfpack's 39-20 win over North Carolina Saturday evening.
Wilson led the Pack defensively against the Tar Heels with 15 total tackles, two tackles for a loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and one quarterback pressure.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Wilson’s interview.
“First off, that makes me feel old. It’s awesome. I love it for our fanbase. Credit to our coaches: the season that people thought we were going to have after we lost to Duke and then to end how we did, that’s credit to the culture, Coach [Tony] Gibson, Coach [Dave] Doeren, and Coach [Robert] Anae. That’s credit to NC State.”
“I think it’s just everybody buying in, and I think a big part of that was Brennan [Armstrong] coming back and playing the way he did. You have a quarterback who runs like that and throws like that. He’s out there with damn near a broken rib, playing ball for 60 minutes against our rival, putting up 39 points tonight. Shoutout to Brennan Armstrong for the toughness, maturity, and physical aspects he brings to this team. That’s one of the main reasons we grew as a team, got tougher, and play the way we do.”
“Credit to Coach Gibson calling a beautiful game and instilling the confidence in us. Drake Maye’s one of the better quarterbacks I’ve ever played against, throwing the ball. The confidence that our DBs and secondary played with today, Coach Gibson instilled that in them, and then you know about our front six. Coach Gibson doesn’t play about the run game; he’ll shut that down every time. Credit to him, the way he coaches, and the way he calls the game.”
“It was an awesome experience. I can’t thank Wolfpack Nation enough for my senior day. The applause I got, it means the world to me. I love this university. I love this team. I love this fanbase. It sucks that it’s my last one, but I’m looking forward to the next chapter, and I hope I left a good mark here.”
“Shoutout to Aydan White. We’re in a hard coverage, zone coverage, drop-eight. The back pushes immediately. Aydan White knows that the quarterback’s looking to throw the slant. He jumps it, the ball’s in the air for a few seconds, and I don’t do anything but, really, my job. That’s all credit to Aydan White.”
“That’s how my parents raised me. When you borrow something, whether it’s something small or massive, you always return it better than how you got it. It’s been my dream. I’ve given everything I possibly could’ve given these last years, and hopefully that shows on the film. I think it’s, once again, a credit to Coach Doeren, Coach Gibson, Coach Anae, Coach [Dantonio Burnette], and the culture they’ve instilled here after that 2019 year, getting the cancers out of the locker room, and getting some tough people in here to play football."