HOOVER | Owen Pappoe isn’t your typical freshman.

For starters, he was one of the most sought-after jewels of the 2019 linebacker class. A 6-foot-1, 220-pound defender, Pappoe exhibited elite pass-rushing prowess and open-field tracking during an illustrious career at Grayson (Loganville, Ga.).

Gus Malzahn was able to pluck him from the Peach State in May 2018, after which Pappoe became an infectious personality as a recruiter for his new squad.

Pappoe enters Auburn’s 2019 linebackers room as the star-studded kid wonder. And in the summer months — when the coaches aren’t watching as keenly and it’s all about conditioning — Pappoe’s demeanor toward his craft has quickly earned him the respect of his new teammates.

“He’s just a different athlete,” Auburn defensive end Marlon Davidson said of Pappoe’s summer work ethic at the 2019 SEC Media Days. “He’s a different kind of guy. He takes football serious. He takes everything serious. He takes the classroom serious just like he takes this seriously. So, it’s like there’s never a falloff. He’s just a different type of guy, man, and he’s a freakish athlete, too. He’s like an Olympic lifter. He’s strong.”

Davidson’s comments echo those of linebackers coach Travis Williams, who said earlier in the summer that Auburn’s strength and conditioning staff believes Pappoe will soon develop into one of the strongest players because of how naturally the rigorous workouts have come to him.

Williams also said that Pappoe has been consistently “bugging” and asking questions him since the freshman arrived in the winter as an early enrollee, but it’s that persistence toward excellence that could allow Pappoe to become a leader.

"He's one of those guys who is really smart and really serious about his work, serious about his craft," Williams said at an Auburn AMBUSH tour stop.

Pappoe is assumed to compete at weakside linebacker with Zakoby McClain. And even if he isn’t listed as a starter, Auburn expects his veteran-like mindset and focus to allow him to contribute like a old hand in Kevin Steele’s defense.

“It’s very impressive,” Davidson said of Pappoe. “You see a difference out of any high school player. You’ll have some high school players, you go, ‘OK, it’s going to take him a year to be developed.’ But with him, it’s like, ‘Man, he could come in now and play for us.’”