Owen Pappoe might not be taking part in spring practice, but he's involved. Just ask his new position coach, Christian Robinson.

"You can feel him," the new linebackers coach said. "I mean, he's at everything that we do. He's at every meeting, every practice. I gotta shoo him outta the way because he's in the middle of it. I said, 'Are you practicing or not?' He's in the middle of it."

The linebacker had an injury-prone 2021 season, missing eight games and creating a big hole at the second level for Auburn's defense. Currently on a scooter after undergoing foot surgery, Pappoe is sitting out all of spring practice to prepare for a healthy senior season. However, his impact is still felt.

"He's a special kid," Robinson said. "He really cares about what he does, every aspect of the program. You really see him helping and recruiting and helping the guys that he's gonna be out there guiding.

And that's really exciting as a new coach coming in to see that you have a guy that understands the expectation of the position, being the quarterback of the defense to really go lead and wants to lead."

In 11 games in 2020, Pappoe recorded 93 tackles (56 solo), six tackles for a loss, four sacks, and an interception. Jeff Schmedding, Auburn's new defensive coordinator, has seen the Lawrenceville, Ga., native's impact on his teammates.

"He's as locked in and diligent about everything he does as I've seen, really," Schmedding said. "He's a kid who's learning the game as he's watching."