Payton Wilson Wins Bednarik Award, Named First Team All-American
12/8/2023 9:00:00 PM | Football
Wilson earns his second national award while also being tabbed as a first-team All-American by Walter Camp
RALEIGH, N.C. – N.C. State football's Payton Wilson was selected as the 2023 winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award the Maxwell Football Club announced Thursday evening on the ESPN College Football Awards Show. Wilson was also tabbed as a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation following the event.
Presented annually to the top defensive player in college football as chosen by the Maxwell Football Club, Wilson takes home his second national defensive award after winning the Butkus Award for the nation's top linebacker earlier in the week.
Wilson becomes the first Wolfpack player to take home the prestigious honor while also being named to his sixth first-team All-America team this season.
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year led the conference and ranked fifth in the FBS in tackles with 138 and tackles per game at 11.5 per contest. He was also the league leader in tackles-for-loss with 17.5, the sixth-most in all of FBS. He also notched six sacks, 10 pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and three interceptions, returning one for a score.
The award is named after Chuck Bednarik, who was a 2x NFL Champion and 10x 1st Team All-Pro Linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949-1962. Bednarik was the last player in NFL history to play both ways of the ball full-time. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. The Chuck Bednarik Award was established in 1995.
Presented annually to the top defensive player in college football as chosen by the Maxwell Football Club, Wilson takes home his second national defensive award after winning the Butkus Award for the nation's top linebacker earlier in the week.
Wilson becomes the first Wolfpack player to take home the prestigious honor while also being named to his sixth first-team All-America team this season.
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year led the conference and ranked fifth in the FBS in tackles with 138 and tackles per game at 11.5 per contest. He was also the league leader in tackles-for-loss with 17.5, the sixth-most in all of FBS. He also notched six sacks, 10 pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and three interceptions, returning one for a score.
The award is named after Chuck Bednarik, who was a 2x NFL Champion and 10x 1st Team All-Pro Linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1949-1962. Bednarik was the last player in NFL history to play both ways of the ball full-time. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. The Chuck Bednarik Award was established in 1995.
Players Mentioned
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