Exclusive: One-on-one with Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe

Welcome to Eyes on Auburn, a regular feature that primarily focuses on Auburn football recruiting but also will offer up occasional intel from inside — and outside — the football program. Today, our eyes are on Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe.

Pappoe, now entering his fourth season, and a group of Auburn players have linked up with The Players Lounge, “a Web 3.0 NIL community offering fans a reimagined experience through player empowerment and engagement.” Right now, there’s a roster of 150-plus college athletes across multiple schools. At Auburn, they call themselves the Plains Prowlers. Fans who join that community get to experience things such as private chats, in-person events along with merchandise and memorabilia. (INFO HERE)

“We’re also coming up with an NFT that’s going to be dropping really soon,” Pappoe told Auburn Live. “It’s going to give us a chance to connect with other players and also our fans. We’re actually going to have an event that’s going to happen on July 23 at the College Football Hall of Fame (in Atlanta) so all the fans have an opportunity to come out and interact with us, take pictures with us, autographs — have a conversation with us and see what life is like as a student-athlete. So it’s a pretty fun and cool thing we’ve got going on.”

EOA encourages everyone to check out The Players Lounge.

There’s no NIL complacency at Auburn

Now, back to this NIL world in which we live. During our lengthy interview with Pappoe, we asked him if the ability to make money in college (and sometimes large amounts) has lessened the motivation of players. Basically, has the money changed college players for the worse?

“I can’t speak for every other team, but we’re good at Auburn,” Pappoe said. “We’re working hard. If anything, getting this little bit of money is making us like, ‘I want more.’ You know what I’m saying? So you’ve got to ball more to get more. Nobody is getting complacent at all. We’re still going hard.”

Pappoe covered a range of topics in our interview, including the following …

Tigers coach Bryan Harsin cares about his players

-What is Tigers coach Bryan Harsin like in person? “I know there was a whole funk going on earlier this year but he’s a good dude. He’s a really good dude. He wants to win. I don’t know exactly what the narrative is out there about him right now but as far as what we know on the inside, he cares about his players, he challenges us every day to be the best that we can and he loves us.”

-Even though Pappoe liked the previous staff, he noted, “To be honest, we needed a cultural change.” And, he added, Harsin “is a damn good coach, too.”

-Pappoe said the “team from this year and last year is night and day. I promise you. We’re on the right track.”

Pappoe plans to have a monster season

-When asked to name potential breakout players among upperclassmen, Pappoe first named himself. According to Pappoe, he is better “in every single part of the game.” He said that being injured and having to miss time last season gave him a new perspective. He’s learned to cherish every moment. “I’m going way harder than I ever have before. It’s a whole new focus for me. … It’s going to be a monster year, I’m telling you.”

-Pappoe said he has put up “freak numbers” this offseason. We asked him for an example, and he gave us this: He’s benching 295 pounds for 15 reps.

-When it came to touting some teammates that have turned heads, Pappoe named many and admitted he was scared to leave someone out. But two in the secondary of note were cornerback Jaylin Simpson and safety Zion Puckett. “Those are not the only two.”

-Pappoe has confidence in the front four on defense: “I’ve got to play behind them and I’m excited.”

-The new receivers have impressed him.

Auburn has had a great offseason and several players have impressed

-“I can almost name everybody (on the roster),” Pappoe said. “The team looks good, I’m trying to tell y’all.”

-When asked if he’s excited about the Auburn defense, Pappoe replied, “Hell yeah.”

-Pappoe, a former 5-star recruit, is extremely high on first-year Auburn linebackers coach Christian Robinson: “Great personality. We’re actually from the same city in Georgia. I think he said his parents live like five minutes up the road from me. He’s a great dude. Great leader. Helps everyone feel like they’re important in a room. He just has that kind of personality. But he’s also a great coach. He knows how to flip the switch and get serious when he needs to. I’m learning a lot from him technique wise.”

The defense will have some new looks in 2022

-Defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding’s knowledge of the game continues to impress him: “Just greatness man. That’s what he expects from all of us and what he brings out of all of us. He’s a great leader, very knowledgable about ball and he meets with NFL coaches almost every day. We installed something new (Thursday) that’s going to be crazy that y’all are going to see this season. I can’t wait to run that live. Coach Schmedding — he’s a great leader. He’s getting the best out of all of us. He’s over the safeties now.

-Summer workouts “are going really good. We’re maximizing each and every day.”

-Wo are some younger guys that have impressed Pappoe? “Man, one today that just jumped out, the wide receiver Camden Brown. He’s going to be a monster. I promise you. Big-body receiver. He’s going up, coming on top of people’s heads catching balls, he’s fast, runs clean routes. I’m excited to see what he does for us this year. I think he’s going to play a lot. We’ve got (running back) Damari Alston, too. He’s been doing his thing as well.” He also likes the game of freshman safety Caleb Wooden.

Look for the complete interview to run on the Auburn Live show later today.

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