Keldric Faulk expects Auburn's defense to be the best in the country

The Auburn Tigers are going into their third season under head coach Hugh Freeze. It was also the team’s second season with defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, and now they’re hoping to take a major step on that side of the ball in 2025.

Junior edge rusher Keldric Faulk has been around for the entire Hugh Freeze era now, and was able to represent Auburn at SEC Media Days. There, he praised the team’s defense. Faulk argued that with more experience, the Tigers should have the best defense in the entire country.

“I feel like our defense could be the best in the country,” Keldric Faulk said. “In my opinion. We have so many guys that played last year that was young, especially in our secondary. Our secondary was containing mostly freshmen and second-year guys. So, I feel like everybody has another year under them and really that’s another year of maturity.”

In 2024, Auburn would finish 31st nationally in total defense, averaging 330.8 points per game. That was seventh in the SEC. The Tigers were also 27th nationally in scoring defense, averaging 21.3 points allowed per game. That would be eighth in the SEC.

Along with that improved experience that Faulk brought up, Auburn does have a few interesting transfers coming to the team for 2025. That includes defensive back Raion Strader, defensive linemen James Ash, and linebacker Xavier Atkins. So, there are additions at every level of the defense. Along the defensive line in particular, Auburn has four incoming transfers.

“So, I do expect a lot out of our whole defense,” Faulk said. “And we should, at the end of the year, be the best defense in the country.”

Keldric Faulk has set a high bar for the Auburn defense. Of course, there’s also a high bar for him to climb as an individual player. The star edge rusher was named to the First Team Preseason All-SEC Team.

Keldric Faulk defends Hugh Freeze amid hot seat talk at Auburn

The players at Auburn have heard the hot seat talk surrounding head coach Hugh Freeze. Keldric Faulk certainly has, and he made it clear that he takes it personally.

“Yeah, I do take that personally. Coach [Freeze] deserves this job, and it’s up to us now to get this going,” Faulk said. “Coach has put some of the best people around us, whether it be coaching staff or players that he’s brought in – he’s brought in his own players, his own coaching staff – and now it’s up to us to go out and execute.”