Highland Home 2025 linebacker Jakaleb “J.J.” Faulk compares nicely to his older brother, Auburn freshman Keldric Faulk.

They will be back together again in a couple of years.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Jakaleb Faulk committed to Auburn on Monday night over rival Alabama. Faulk had earlier narrowed his choices to the Tigers, Tide, Clemson, Florida and Georgia. He originally put on an Alabama hat before shaking his finger ‘no,’ then replacing it with an Auburn hat and pulling off his sweatshirt to reveal an Auburn shirt.

“His dad passed away when he was really young and today would have been his birthday,” Highland Home coach Will Pouncey said. “He wanted to honor him. He knew where he wanted to go. He wanted to get it behind him and focus on what he needed to do to improve before he gets there.”

On3 ranks the 4-star prospect as the No. 11 junior in the state. The 247 sports rankings have him at No. 10 overall. He finished his sophomore season with 93 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He also caught four touchdown passes on offense.

“His primary position for us in outside linebacker,” Pouncey said. “We will move him inside in some situations. He also will play some wide receiver and tight end on offense. It’s hard to keep him off the field. He does so many things well. He’s so versatile, so athletic. J.J. is fast enough to really play any position on the field.”

Jakaleb is not as big as his older brother, who is 6-foot-6, 280.

“Both do things differently,” Pouncey said. “But J.J. is just as much of a prospect. He may even be a little more athletic than Keldric. He’s probably faster. Keldric has a bigger frame, but both have that humble mentality. They work hard, really get after it. They do everything the right way.”

Pouncey said Jakaleb Faulk’s ceiling is high.

“He is already 225 pounds,” he said. “With another year of high school left, he could easily be 240 or 245. He will be a linebacker at the next level – whether that will be inside or outside probably depends on how big he gets. But he will probably be a Day 1 starter. He’s the full package.”

Though Faulk plays on both sides of the ball in high school, his college future is clearly on defense. According to 247 sports scouting report:

“In all likelihood, he’ll continue to grow and turn into a jack linebacker for a defense. But he could grow even more and become a defensive end like his older brother. Or he could stay where he’s at and play as a linebacker. The position is up in the air, the talent and athleticism is not.”

Faulk is Auburn’s second commitment in the Class of 2025, joining Opelika 3-star DL Malik Autry.

“It’s great to see if I can play at least a season with my brother,” Faulk told 247 Sports.

Keldric Faulk made the trip down from Auburn to Highland Home for the announcement and gave his brother a big hug afterward.

Highland Home opens the season against Providence Christian on Friday. The Flying Squadron went 12-2 in 2022 and reached the Class 2A state semifinals before losing at eventual runner-up B.B. Comer.