Pappoe's approach has paid off

[aubiefifty 18,222]

Owen Pappoe’s impact a product of 5-star freshman linebacker’s businesslike approach

Posted Nov 06, 2019

5-6 minutes

Auburn Football

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AUBURN, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 02: Owen Pappoe #10 of the Auburn Tigers sacks John Rhys Plumlee #10 of the Mississippi Rebels in the first half at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 02, 2019 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Owen Pappoe didn’t want to just wait for his opportunity. Auburn’s highly touted freshman linebacker wanted to take it.

It’s why, after arriving in the spring as an early enrollee, Pappoe spent the offseason “bugging the crap” out of linebackers coach Travis Williams. The five-star freshman was constantly texting Williams with questions and spending time in his office, trying to absorb as much information as he could heading into his freshman season.

“I ain’t want to just be deadweight, just sitting on the sideline, so I made sure I picked up everything as fast as I could so I could make an impact,” Pappoe said.

Pappoe’s approach has paid off to this point. He has started all nine games at linebacker for Auburn this season — including being the only linebacker in the starting lineup against LSU, when Auburn fielded a new-look 3-1-7 scheme to try to slow one of the nation’s most prolific offenses — and he’s the first Auburn true freshman to see significant playing time at the position since at least 2012.

Through those nine games, as Auburn hits its second off week of the season, Pappoe has 32 tackles, with 2.5 for a loss and a pair of sacks (though he contests he should have added a third sack on the final play of last weekend’s win against Ole Miss, insisting that Rebels quarterback John Rhys Plumlee’s knee was down before he threw the game-ending interception to Christian Tutt). That includes one on the opening play against LSU two weeks ago, when he dropped Joe Burrow behind the line of scrimmage and set the tone for a strong defensive performance for Kevin Steele’s defense.

Pappoe’s lateral speed and nose for the ball has been evident from the start this season, but the 6-foot-1, 219-pounder has seemingly hit his stride in recent weeks. He has 20 tackles over the last four games, including 12 during the Tigers’ last two. Both of his sacks have come during the last three games, and he also added a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry during the 20-14 win against Ole Miss.

Adding to the impressive nature of his production this year is that Pappoe is still adjusting to the college game and a somewhat new position. He played more of the Star role — a hybrid linebacker/defensive back — while in high school at Grayson in Lawrenceville, Ga., but has focused solely on playing linebacker at Auburn.

According to Pappoe, this season has been his first real experience playing in the box and adjusting to everything that goes with that, like taking on offensive linemen and making sure he’s taking the right first step at the snap.

“Just trying to adjust to it,” Pappoe said. “Even today, I’m still trying to get better at that, but it’s a process, though.”

Pappoe’s impact this season hasn’t really been a surprise to those around the team, many of whom expected the true freshman to play a significant role for the Tigers’ defense from the onset. It hasn’t come as a surprise to Pappoe, either; rather, it has just been an expected product of his business-like approach since arriving on campus.

“Just laid low, take coaching, just do everything I can, just extra training and stuff, being in my playbook,” Pappoe said. “I remember I used to meet with Coach T-Will like five times a week just to get everything down, because I wanted to come in and make an impact, but really, just taking everything seriously.”

That has been the M.O. for Pappoe even before he arrived on campus. He was the Tigers’ top-rated signee in the 2019 class, the No. 1 outside linebacker in the country and a top-25 recruit nationally, but he never got caught up in all the hype — even when it was coming from his own teammates and coaches at Auburn.

Williams said this fall that Pappoe was “even better” than Auburn thought he was. Fellow linebacker K.J. Britt said the freshman was just “born different,” and adjectives like freak, special, smart and athletic have all been used to describe Pappoe.

He hasn’t allowed himself to buy into any of that, as he has just gone about his business this season—and been very much the opposite of deadweight.

“Me personally, I never really paid attention to the whole five-star thing and all that,” Pappoe said. “I was really like a workhorse; I ain’t really care about all the media and all that boosting me up. I just wanted to stay low, work, do what I had to do.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

[LKEEL75 2,567]

I really appreciate kids so highly ranked coming in and doing the work instead of just believing everything is going to be handed to them.  This kid will be a 3 and done!!

[Sizzle 3,948]

He closed in on that QB fast that forced the INT to end the ole miss game. I think that was actually a sack too. Looked like his knee was down

[AuburnTiger4Life 2,225]

We’re gonna be just fine at the LB position for a few years