Payton Roth holds the WLB · Depth spot in Northwestern Wildcats’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Payton Roth is a 6'4", 225-pound weakside linebacker from Portland, Oregon, who attended Jesuit High School. A preferred walk-on who chose Northwestern over Oregon and Oregon State, Roth made his collegiate debut against Rutgers on September 3, 2023, and redshirted that season. He played in three games during 2024 and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors. In 2025, Roth appeared in all 13 games, recording eight total tackles and six solo tackles. He registered his first career tackle against UCLA on September 27, added stops against Nebraska and Minnesota, and posted a career-high two tackles against Illinois on November 25.