September 25, 2025

Defender of the Nation Award Player Profile Keldric Faulk

Auburn’s Keldric Faulk
6’- 6” 285 lbs. Highland Home, Alabama

Athletic Bio & Honors:

2025: ESPN Preseason All-American (2^nd team) … Preseason All-SEC first team (media) … Senior Bowl top 300.

2024: Second-year starter at defensive end … 80 career tackles; 45 this season, along with 11.0 TFL, 7.0 sacks … 6-yard sack against Alabama A&M … back-to-back sacks and team-high 8 tackles against Cal … 4 tackles, TFL against Arkansas … 5 tackles vs. Oklahoma … 2 sacks, 7 tackles at Georgia … 3 tackles, 2 sacks at Kentucky … 4 tackles vs. Vanderbilt … 6tackles, 2 TFL and a forced fumble and recovery at Alabama … SEC defensive lineman of week: Kentucky … game captain: Oklahoma … Preseason: all-SEC 3rd tm (Athlon)

2023: True freshman pass rusher who played in every game … 35 tackles for season … 3 tackles, TFL against UMass … 3 tackles at Cal … 3 tackles, PBU vs. Samford … 2 solo tackles at Texas A&M … first start came at LSU, recording 3 tackles … 6 tackles, TFL against Ole Miss … 3 tackles at Arkansas … 5 tackles, TFL against New Mexico State … 4 tackles against Alabama … sack, 3 tackles in Music City Bowl … SEC all-freshman team

High School: Athletic, long pass rusher who is best off the edge … played for Highland Home High and Coach Will Pouncey … led the Flying Squadron to a 13-2 overall record and the semifinals of the 2022 AHSAA 2A state playoffs … East team in 2023 All-American Bowl … 2022 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game … ASWA first team all-state … consensus four-star recruit … rated as high as the No. 79 player in the country by Rivals … consensus top 15 player in Alabama by On3, ESPN, Rivals and 24/7 … top 15 defensive lineman by Rivals, On3 and 24/7 … also a basketball letterman

Personal: Birthday is September 7 … son of Lakendral Barnes … has a brother, Jakaleb, and a sister, Erica … enjoys hunting and fishing … studying in the College of Liberal Arts … member of the 2025 SEC Football Leadership Council.

Quote from Head Coach Hugh Freeze:
“We owe a lot to kids like Keldric … who, in two-and-a-half weeks when we first got the job here, we were able to convince to come join us. And now he is a bedrock and a leader of our program and a guy you depend on every single day to speak truth into the lives of everybody in that locker room about our standards and how we must choose for a period of this year to truly buy in to being all in for each other and not just about self.

“Keldric, many people don’t know, is also one of the most giving and unselfish people I know, and helped one of our current walk-ons with some of his NIL money who was having a hard time trying to stay in school, and that’s the kind of guy he is, and we’re fortunate to have him.”

The recipient of the Defender of the Nation Award will be announced on October 23 from one of the nation’s 15 distinguished military academies and ROTC programs. These include:
• United States Air Force Academy
• Appalachian State University
• Auburn University<
• The Citadel
• United States Coast Guard Academy
• Michigan State University
• United States Naval Academy
• Norwich University
• University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
• Texas A&M University
• Virginia Tech
• Virginia Military Institute (VMI)
• University of South Carolina
• Villanova University
• United States Military Academy (West Point)

This prestigious award honors a student-athlete who demonstrates exceptional leadership on the field, in the classroom, and within the community. The recipient must also uphold a high standard of integrity and lead by example.

In conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America, the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet will take place on Monday, December 8, at the Charlotte Convention Center.

The evening will honor several of college football’s finest, including:
• The Defender of the Nation Award recipient.
• The prestigious Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner.
• The 2025 Legends Award honoree: Ron Rivera, University of California-Berkely, Class of 1983, alumnus and esteemed NFL coach.

In addition, University of Oklahoma legendary linebacker Brian Bosworth is slated to deliver the keynote address.
This annual banquet is a celebration of excellence in college football, recognizing standout performances, leadership, and integrity both on and off the field.

ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE TOUCHDOWN CLUB
The Charlotte Touchdown Club, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1990,is dedicated to promoting the full spectrum of football and athletics–from youth and middle school to high school, collegiate, and professional–throughout the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the Club has experienced significant growth and diversification, now supported by a sponsor team of more than 75 companies. The Club’s initiatives focus on celebrating and elevating Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadershipamong area athletes and coaches. Through generous individual and corporate contributions, the Charlotte Touchdown Club has raised and donated over $3 million to support its ongoing scholarship programs.

ABOUT CAPITAL GROUP OF COMPANIES
Rick Hughes has a successful 46-year track record in the automotive finance and insurance industry. Rick worked with publicly held NY Stock Exchange companies, setting up their F&I Programs. Rick worked with Sonic Automotive on setting up their F&I Program, with NCADA to form and market their NC Life program and industry-leading programs to increase dealer revenue. Prior to starting Capital Automotive, Rick was the Director of Business Development for one of the world’s largest automotive finance product and service companies. Rick coordinated various international field forces, presented at BSF and CEO Ninety, and personally developed hundreds of successful dealership personnel. As CEO of the Capital Companies, he created Flex-Pro, a patented program which allows an additional income stream coupled with products, insurance, and reinsurance administrative services. The Capital Companies refers to four unique companies: Capital Benefits Group—Structures custom benefit options based on your business needs, Capital Automotive—Gives dealerships the edge they need to meet and exceed their goals, Capital Processing Systems—Provides state-of-the-art products, administration, insurance and reinsurance services to complement dealership and shareholder financial goals, and Data Dot Dealer Services—Least expensive, most effective anti-theft deterrent ever created. We are a group of companies that work together to help dealers capitalize on their investments. We keep our clients in the game and moving toward the goal line through our consumer and client-centric products and administrative services.

ABOUT VETERANS BRIDGE HOME
Veterans Bridge Home connects Veterans and their families, in any state of transition, to the community. Through our network of partners, we help Veterans navigate employment, create social connections, and settle their families. We look at the whole Veteran and connect them to the resources needed to be successful and thriving leaders in our community. Veterans Bridge Home serves as an entry point for Veterans who don’t know where to turn to access support and services. Because Veterans return home to a civilian community and not to federal agencies or bureaucracies, each community must reach out and actively assist in the reintegration process alongside federal agencies such as the Veterans Administration. The Carolinas have the opportunity and privilege to help bring our nation’s warriors and their families home with the same energy and commitment that our Veterans have displayed in serving our nation. In so doing, ours will serve as a leader to inform other communities that wish to create more welcoming and livable communities for returning Veterans and their families.

PREVIOUS DEFENDER OF THE NATION AWARD RECIPIENTS
2024 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Shayne Leddy
2023 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Trey Taylor
2022 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Dax Hollifield
2021 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Arik Smith
2019 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Kyle Johnson
2018 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Sean Williams
2017 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Greg Sanders
2016 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Andrew King

2025 DEFENDER OF THE NATION PLAYER PROFILES
• September 4: USAF / Aidan Swartz
• September 8: South Carolina / Jalon Kilgore
• September 11: The Citadel / Josh Cole
• September 15: Villanova / Shane Hartzell
• September 18: Texas A&M / Taurean York
• September 22: Auburn / Keldric Faulk
• October 23: Defender of the Nation Recipient Announced