North Carolina State University Athletics
Wilson Named Butkus National Linebacker of the Month
10/4/2023 12:01:00 PM | Football
Wolfpack Linebacker Payton Wilson has been honored as the best in the nation at his position for the month of September by the Butkus Foundation.
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Wilson, who is on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, averaged 11.5 tackles per game in the first full month of the 2023 campaign. His 11.2 average for the season leads the ACC and ranks eighth in the FBS.
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The official release from the Butkus Foundation says: "Wilson has registered 56 tackles, including a Butkus-like effort tracking down a Notre Dame ballcarrier where he registered a Wolfpack lifetime-best 23.4 miles per hour on the GPS, the fastest head coach Dave Doeren said the program has ever recorded."
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The graduate student has led the team in tackles in all five games and has been named the ACC Linebacker of the Week twice in 2023. He has also tallied 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, while recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass.
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Last week vs. Louisville, Wilson even turned in a rush attempt, as he ran for a first down on a fake punt.
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For his career, the Hillsborough native has notched 18 double-figure tackle totals, including four in 2023.
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Each month during the regular season, the Butkus Award selects a college linebacker of the month. Semi-finalists will be named on October 30, with finalists to follow Nov 20. The winner will be named on or before Dec. 6. The Butkus Award is named after the legendary Dick Butkus, who dominated college football and became a star for the Chicago Bears.
All 2023 Butkus Award winners will be honored at a televised event in Jan. 2024. BTN (the Big Ten Network) aired the event last season, featuring Butkus and numerous noted NFL Alumni.
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Wilson, who is on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, averaged 11.5 tackles per game in the first full month of the 2023 campaign. His 11.2 average for the season leads the ACC and ranks eighth in the FBS.
Â
The official release from the Butkus Foundation says: "Wilson has registered 56 tackles, including a Butkus-like effort tracking down a Notre Dame ballcarrier where he registered a Wolfpack lifetime-best 23.4 miles per hour on the GPS, the fastest head coach Dave Doeren said the program has ever recorded."
Â
The graduate student has led the team in tackles in all five games and has been named the ACC Linebacker of the Week twice in 2023. He has also tallied 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, while recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass.
Â
Last week vs. Louisville, Wilson even turned in a rush attempt, as he ran for a first down on a fake punt.
Â
For his career, the Hillsborough native has notched 18 double-figure tackle totals, including four in 2023.
Â
Each month during the regular season, the Butkus Award selects a college linebacker of the month. Semi-finalists will be named on October 30, with finalists to follow Nov 20. The winner will be named on or before Dec. 6. The Butkus Award is named after the legendary Dick Butkus, who dominated college football and became a star for the Chicago Bears.
All 2023 Butkus Award winners will be honored at a televised event in Jan. 2024. BTN (the Big Ten Network) aired the event last season, featuring Butkus and numerous noted NFL Alumni.
Players Mentioned
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