When Keldric Faulk first stepped on Auburn’s campus, his expectations for himself were low.

Despite being a four-star prospect and a top-100 ranked freshman, the jump from 2A Highland Home High School to Auburn and the SEC was hard for the young Faulk.

“My mindset was terrible going into the spring,” Faulk said of his freshman year at SEC Media Days. “That terrible mindset kept me thinking I wasn’t going I wasn’t gonna see the field.”

The imposter syndrome that Faulk felt stemmed from his high school background.

Coming out of school as a 6-foot-5, 270-pound prospect, there was no reason to doubt his physical ability, but he feared he may not be as polished or tested as players from bigger schools.

“When you come from a smaller school you feel like you’re behind everybody else,” Faulk said. “Guys who came in with me; Peter Woods, Kelby Collins, they played higher level football. So, you feel like you’re behind the eight ball.”

Woods and Collins, two other linemen from Alabama, played for Thompson and Gardendale, respectively, in high school, both schools that are four or more classifications above Highland Home.

When Auburn’s starting defensive end Mosiah Nasili-Kite went down for the season with a torn bicep, Faulk had no choice but to change his mindset.

He became one of the most consistent players on Auburn’s defense and goes into 2024 looking to take the next step as a proven leader.

The biggest sign of that step towards leadership was his selection as one of three players to represent Auburn at SEC Media Days, becoming the first sophomore in school history to do so.

“Keldric has just had an incredible voice that people listen to, because he’s wise for his age and his work ethic is incredible. I think it kind of sends a message that, man, this guy does everything,” Hugh Freeze said of the selection at SEC Media Days.

The way Freeze described Faulk is a far cry from the player Faulk himself described as having a “terrible” mindset going into his first spring as a true freshman.

With an improved confidence level and a work ethic that earned praise from his head coach, Faulk’s focus now is for his growth and leadership on the field to match what it is off the field.

Pass rush is the area Faulk says he’s working on most.

“I felt like I did pretty well in the run,” Faulk said describing his freshman season. “But as far as transitioning from the run the pass, I think I can do a whole lot better than what I did last year.”

His leadership on the field will be as important as ever next season in an Auburn defensive line that’s adding a plethora of new pieces.

Auburn added five transfers on the defensive line this offseason, but Faulk expressed his confidence in the group at SEC Media Days.

“We come in and we want to strive for greatness every day,” Faulk said. “So, whenever we step on that field, we have a different mindset.

“Having those transfers come in, those older guys, and having those young guys pick their brains and get knowledge from them shows that we have a d-line is ready to evolve and lead.”

Despite being younger than many of the transfer defensive lineman, Faulk now enters his sophomore season as one of the veterans of the group. And given his growth from 18 months ago to now, it seems as if Auburn’s defensive line will continue to evolve as he does.