Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett was giddy following the Tigers’ sixth practice of fall camp Thursday afternoon and with good reason.

True freshman Keldric Faulk was finally with Garrett and the defensive line full time.

“Oh absolutely,” Garrett said when asked is he was happy to have Faulk in his position room. “Love working with Keldric. It’s so much easier when you get a freshman that early enroll because they get adjusted to the schedule, they get adjusted to the tempo, adjusted to the playbook… He’s in a stage where he know what to do, now it’s like lets focus on the how to do it and doing well and doing it consistently. I’m really glad they let me get him. It’s a big pickup.”

Faulk, who is considered the jewel of Auburn’s 2023 signing class, was initially lining up at Jack linebacker, a position similar to edge rusher in previous defensive systems at Auburn, but a bit more dynamic.

But with guys like Jalen McLeod, Elijah McAllister and Stephen Sings V on the roster, the Jack spot is in good hands, which paved the way for Faulk to make the shift to defensive end — a shift that defensive coordinator Ron Roberts alluded to earlier this week.

“He played Jack most of the spring. A lot of our four-down stuff, it’s the same thing. So he was doing it half the dag-gum time, so we moved him to end,” Roberts said. “He’s 290 pounds by the summertime, so he’s kind of filled that spot. He’s in there fighting for the job. I don’t know how it’s going to pan out the next couple of weeks, but he’s going to be an impact player for us this season.”

As talented as the former 4-star is, Garrett says Faulk has had to make minor adjustments with the change.

“He’s going to get touched every play, you’re not a stand-up, outside linebacker anymore,” Garrett said. “It’s more the mental toughness has to pick up, the physicality picks up. That’s the adjustment.”

And there might not be anyone more excited about the move than Garrett, who adds a 6-foot-6, 280-pound body to his already-sizeable defensive line.

Even better, Faulk’s move to end has a domino effect down the line.

With Faulk and senior Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite holding down the fort at the defensive end spot, senior Marcus Harris is able to return to his post at defensive tackle, where Garrett says he’s at his best.

But with different players having experience at different positions, it gives Garrett and the Auburn defense options.

“It allows us to have different combinations of guys,” Garrett said.

If the Tigers were in a situation in which they were seeing some downhill running from an opponent, they’d be able to line up in a 12-person personnel look, which means fielding some bigger, stronger bodies.

Otherwise, having Faulk or Nasili-Kite on the end, Harris lined up inside and junior Jayson Jones at nose tackle works.

“I think we’ve got guys that can play at multiple positions,” Garrett said. “That helps, especially throughout this SEC season because you know, things happen and the next guy has to be ready.”

Garrett says he’s becoming comfortable with his two-deep lineup.

Based on the media’s limited viewing windows at practice, Faulk, Harris and Jones are the projected starters at defensive end, defensive tackle and nose tackle, respectively.

Those three are likely to be backed up by Nasili-Kite, senior Lawrence Johnson and junior Kentucky transfer Justin Rogers.

But ideally, Garrett gets to a point of having a three-deep lineup he’s confident in.

“Right now, feel pretty good with a two-deep, “ Garrett said. “You hope to get to three-deep. You know, we’ve got guys competing at the end spot, you got guys competing at the nose spot, you’ve got guys competing at the at the tackle spot in the one- and two-deep. Now you hope to pick up the third individual who will keep bringing it every day in practice. Hopefully, whoever is the two is getting pushed by the three to really create competition in that room.”