AUBURN, Ala. – Visiting Auburn after earning a scholarship offer while still in eighth grade, Owen Pappoe noticed bricks outside Jordan-Hare Stadium listing the names of team captains.
"I remember thinking that would be a cool thing to have one day," Pappoe recalled.
That day has come. After a team vote, Pappoe and fellow linebacker Chandler Wooten will captain the 2021 Tigers, head coach Bryan Harsin announced Wednesday.
"To be selected by my teammates means a lot," Pappoe said. "It shows me that all the work I've been putting in, from leadership and handling my business on the field, has paid off.
"It was an amazing feeling. I'm excited and I'm ready to lead."
A junior who has started since arriving as a five-star freshman in 2019, Pappoe has made 142 tackles in two seasons.'We can do it all': Owen Pappoe has made 142 tackles in his first two seasons
Along with Wooten and Zakoby McClain, the nation's leading tackler last season, Pappoe believes Auburn's linebacker corps ranks among college football's finest.
"I'm going to take us over anybody," said Pappoe, mentioning Auburn's speed, pass rushing, coverage and versatility. "I think we have the best linebacker room in the country. We can do it all."
A senior who arrived at Auburn in 2017, Wooten returned this spring after opting out of the 2020 season while focusing on fatherhood.
"You can't even tell that he took a year off," Pappoe said. "He hasn't skipped a beat. He's been out there making plays all camp. He's a really good asset for the defense."
Pappoe's performance similarly impresses Wooten.
"He's such a smart guy," Wooten said. "So humble, hard-working. He's a physical freak. There's not a lot those guys (Pappoe and McClain) can't do."
Wooten exhibited his leadership skills in his first meeting with head coach Bryan Harsin, a scheduled five minute chat that lasted 45 minutes.
"He asked me who I was," Wooten said. "I told him, 'I'm a leader.' I remember walking out of the office and talking Coach Schmedding and saying, 'That's the kind of coach I want to play for.'"
Seven months later, Harsin and Wooten had another conversation, with Harsin relaying the results of the team vote.
"It was awesome to hear those words and to know that my teammates voted me and Owen as permanent captains," Wooten said. "To come back and earn the respect of my teammates is a truly a blessing. It's a great honor and something I don't take lightly."
Harsin noted the rarity of having both captains play the same position.
"Chandler and Owen have been two guys who have really stepped up and have led, and they demonstrate it daily," Harsin said. "There's no greater honor than to be voted by your teammates as a captain. Excited for them and know that they're going to do a tremendous job leading our team."Auburn captain Chandler Wooten
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
