Captain Keldric: Faulk leads Auburn defense with effort, exhortation

AUBURN, Ala. – Defensive linemen, typically, do not fare well in footraces with wide receivers.  

There’s nothing typical about Auburn junior Keldric Faulk.

In the Tigers’ season-opening win at Baylor, the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Faulk chased down speedy Bears’ receiver Ashtyn Hawkins, catching him from behind 30 yards past the line of scrimmage.

“A play that I had to make,” Faulk said. “Seeing the man go downfield and having a chance to put another score on the board, I had to go down there and make the tackle so we had a chance to get them off the field.”

Late in the third quarter with on-field temperatures still in triple digits, Faulk demonstrated exceptional effort, the type of leadership teammates admired when they elected Keldric as one of their captains.

“That’s leading by example,” said Faulk, who recorded his ninth career sack in the Baylor victory. “My guys were depending on someone to make that play and I had to go make it.”

“That’s what we expect from him,” defensive coordinator DJ Durkin said. “That’s what he does all the time in practice. When you see that, it’s impressive.”  

Even more than his production – 80 career tackles in his first two seasons including seven sacks in 2024 – it’s Faulk’s leadership that impresses outside linebackers coach Roc Bellantoni. 

 “Great player,” Bellantoni said. “He’s going to have a great season. His impact is higher than that. It’s leadership with the defense. He takes charge of that group. He pulls guys to the side, he gets up in the meeting room and helps coach them. He jumps in there. He’s a special kid.”

Faulk reminds Bellantoni of another standout defender Roc coached in his first stint on the Plains, Derick Hall.

“I’d say it’s once in a lifetime, but I had another guy here like that,” Bellantoni said. “Really happy with what he’s been doing.”

Sometimes, like that second-half sprint at Baylor, Faulk leads with actions. Other times, he uses words. 

“When the guys aren’t feeling the same way they usually are,” Faulk said of when he knows it’s time to intervene. “That’s usually when I come in and speak to the team.”

Those times, says Faulk, are infrequent. 

“The guys here, we’re hungry for it, we want it,” he said. “It’s rare days when we feel like we need a stern talking to. We all have a drive and we all have a why. Every day we come here, we show why we play and who we play for.”

For Keldric Faulk, the why and the who are one and the same: his mother, Lakendral Barnes, his sister, Erica, and his younger brother and now teammate, J.J., an Auburn freshman linebacker and edge rusher.

“A dream come true,” Keldric said of getting to team up with J.J. “I always wanted to play with my brother again, ever since I got to college. Getting that opportunity this year excites me more than anything else. My brother is my best friend, so having my best friend back in the same area as me is one of the best things in the world.”

After three victorious nonconference matchups, Faulk and the No. 22 Tigers begin SEC play Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at fellow unbeaten No. 11 Oklahoma on ABC and the Auburn Sports Network, the Tigers’ first visit to Norman, Oklahoma. 

“I’m excited,” said Faulk, who has recorded eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack through Auburn’s first three games. “It’s a long time coming. We play a great team in Oklahoma. It’s going to be a thriller.”  

Memories of last year’s meeting, a 27-21 Sooners win on the Plains in which the Tigers led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter, motivate Faulk.

“We could have had them beat last year,” he said. “They’re a really good team and so are we. I feel like we are more than prepared and excited to go out there and handle business.”

In fewer than three seasons, Keldric Faulk has made the adjustment look easy from class 2-A Highland Home High School 40 miles south of Montgomery to the SEC, becoming a team leader and one of the faces of the program. 

“God has a plan for everybody,” he said. “My plan was to come to Auburn and make success out of this. My plan for the 2025-26 season is to help Auburn be playoff contenders at the end of the year. I’m going to continue to follow God’s plan.”

Part of Keldric’s plan is to never give up on a play, even if it means running down receivers 30 yards downfield. 

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer