With a huge amount of snaps in 2020, Owen Pappoe has been a Freak for Auburn's defense
With a huge amount of snaps in 2020, Owen Pappoe has been a Freak for Auburn's defense
No defender in the Tigers' front six has played more than the superstar sophomore, and his impact has been evident all over the field.
Owen Pappoe is an anomaly.
At 6-foot-1 and just north of 220 pounds, Pappoe is undersized for an SEC linebacker. Yet he started every single game as a true freshman in 2019 and has been on the field for more defensive snaps than any non-secondary player for Auburn in 2020.
His nickname is “The Freak,” and that fits perfectly for an archetype-shattering defender who is now midway through his second season of college football. Pappoe got national attention for his work in recruiting combines as an eighth grader and broke the overall physical testing record as a five-star senior.
Plenty of deserved attention on Auburn’s defense has gone to Zakoby McClain, who led the SEC in tackles heading into the Tigers’ first off date this past weekend. Since the injury to team captain K.J. Britt, McClain has stepped in as Auburn’s premier run-stopper at the linebacker position.
But Pappoe — in his own unique fashion — has been right there with McClain in ter…
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