Meet the Freshman Who Beat Out Top Recruits at the Opening Atlanta Regional

BUFORD, Ga. — The Nike Atlanta Opening Regional featured a deep, talented cast of rising seniors in the 2017 class, as evidenced by the fact 12 players earned an invite to The Opening at the camp's conclusion.

However, one uber-talented freshman proved to be the most athletic prospect on hand at Buford High School.

Linebacker Owen Pappoe, of the 2019 class, won the camp's ratings championship by posting a cumulative score of 128.22, which is the highest mark posted at his position thus far nationally, according to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.

For the 6'1", 205-pounder, the showing was rewarding considering the work he continues to put in during the offseason.

"We have workouts every day after school. So I've been working on change-of-direction drills, and that showed out here with the testing," Pappoe told Bleacher Report.

His overall rating came from his individual scores in four different drills: the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, vertical jump and the kneeling powerball throw.

The highlight of his test scores was his time of 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash, which was in less than optimal conditions considering chilly temperatures and gusty winds that were prevalent during the testing portion of the camp.

As Wiltfong detailed, Pappoe also posted a time of 4.16 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle, a vertical jump just shy of 39 inches and a 42-foot powerball toss.

His feat of besting some of the top athletes in the 2017 cycle is just the latest notch in validating his growing reputation as one of the nation's most promising underclassmen.

As he prepares to enter his sophomore season, Pappoe has already earned 28 offers from colleges around the nation. Yet don't expect him to rest on his laurels anytime soon.

In his free time, the Grayson High School (Georgia) standout has been studying film on Broncos sack master Von Miller in an effort to learn new techniques he can apply to his game.

Another thing he's managed to do is take trips to see schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Tennessee in recent months.

"

Athens again tomorrow with @opfreak15 and the top 50 freshman in the state of Ga. Thnx to @therealkwat for the invite! History in the making

— Evan Miller (@EM11LER) March 18, 2016"

Before he took part in the Atlanta Opening Regional, he visited Georgia for its "Freshman 50" event that took place over the weekend.

"I was at Georgia last weekend. It was really fun. The freshman event they had, it was the first time any school has ever done that, so it was pretty cool to be a part of it," Pappoe said.

One school he wants to visit in the near future is LSU, which he is in the process of planning.

While there's plenty of time until he graduates, Pappoe—who reports a GPA of 3.7—is already thinking about his future home.

He plans to be an early enrollee, which means he is loading up his class schedule over the next few years to be on pace to be able to skip his final semester of high school.

Additionally, he admits he's pondered narrowing down his list and coming to a decision soon with his recruitment.

There are a few factors he's identified as critical to his decision-making process.

"Distance from home and a school that has my major, but I'm still trying to figure out what that [major] is," Pappoe explained. "Of course, I want the school to have a good football program. I'm still open, but when it comes time for my decision, I will probably stay somewhere down South."

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand, and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani