Payton Wilson

[3] Wilson was rated a four-star recruit and initially committed to play college football at North Carolina (UNC) over offers from Clemson, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech.

[5] Wilson suffered a second knee injury during summer training camp and redshirted his true freshman season at NC State.

Ahead of the regular season, Wilson was named the team's second string left inside linebacker behind Patrick Queen, beating out Mark Robinson for the backup role.

[14] On August 17, 2024, during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills, Wilson was tackled by Ryan Van Demark and his back leg was stepped up on and bent backwards.

Despite this injury, he still made his first professional appearance in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons where he would make his first tackle on wide receiver Drake London.

[17] He scored his first defensive touchdown in another divisional game, this time against the Bengals, when he returned a Joe Burrow fumble for 21 yards as the Steelers won 44–38.

Wilson during a Steelers practice with Justin Fields in 2024