Auburn had to really fight to keep Owen Pappoe from the likes of Georgia and Tennessee last fall but now that they have him on campus and are gearing up for the season opener, those efforts on the recruiting trail are paying huge dividends for Kevin Steele’s defense.

Rated as the nation’s No. 1 outside linebacker prospect in the 2019 recruiting cycle, it hasn’t taken Pappoe long to live up to the hype on The Plains. After enrolling early and making it campus in time for spring football, Steele believes the freshman has had enough time in the system to go out and make an impact immediately for the Tigers.

During his recent media availability, Auburn’s defensive coordinator was asked to share his thoughts on the young linebacker halfway into the freshman’s first training camp with the program.

“Well, first of all, he is a very intelligent player. Second, he has a high skill set, high skill set,” Steele said in a YouTube video posted by Auburn 247Sports. “Owen is a guy too that came in this spring, so this is his third time in the installation, and he’s only been here since January. He had the spring installation, then he had our summer installation and now he had the fall installation. So he’s been through three installations and been here since January.

“He is a smart guy. He has got an opportunity to help us in a major way.”

The only concern some have had when it comes to Pappoe is his size. During his senior season at Grayson High School, Pappoe was listed at only 210-pounds. After putting on some muscle during his short time at Auburn, Steele doesn’t share any concern about Pappoe’s size heading into the season.

“He is a physical guy in the box but he’s also very fluid in space, quick, has good instincts, feels concepts, understands concepts, knows where the stress point is in the defense,” Steele added. “I mean, he’s a smart guy but he also has the tools.”

When it comes to Pappoe’s opportunity to start as a true freshman, Steele seemed to take exception to the notion that the freshman may only have a “chance” to be one of Auburn’s starters at linebacker.

“He’s got more than a chance, he’s got more than chance,” Steele added. “We’ve got work to do but we are going to play the best player – at the right time – for the situation that presents itself. At this point in time, he’s in that mix.”

When you land a five-star prospect, you expect an impact player. If what Steele says is accurate, Auburn did just that when it signed Pappoe.