Auburn football has a strong family connection to the Faulks, with the eldest son, Keldric, recently moving on to the NFL after several impressive seasons with the Tigers.
Unfortunately, his younger brother J.J. may have to wait until next season to make his mark at Auburn. Head coach Alex Golesh revealed that J.J. is expected to miss the entire season following surgery to repair a collarbone injury.
“J.J. Faulk had surgery today,” Golesh said on Thursday. “The hope is that towards the end of the season, end of November or December, we would have him. So as of right now, he would be out for the regular season, which stinks, but I feel for him and he has worked hard to put himself in a position to play. Other than that, in terms of anything serious, there is not anything, other than what we have already announced.”
Faulk, now a sophomore, was limited to just three games of action last season, and both he and his brother played edge rusher throughout the season. The younger Faulk totalled four tackles on the season, spending most of his time on the sideline watching his brother total 29 tackles, 23 solo tackles and two sacks.
The elder Faulk was taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, so this will be the Tigers’ first season in some time without a Faulk on the field, unless J.J. can get things moving back in a healthy direction and be back on the field for the late regular season and potentially for the postseason.
The Tigers lost quite a bit of talent this offseason, especially at the edge rushing position, as both Faulk and his No. 2 man, Keyron Crawford, were snapped up in the NFL Draft, and now, without the younger Faulk, Golesh will be working with an even thinner unit up front.
Da’Shawn Womack, a former five-star prospect who transferred in from Ole Miss this past offseason, is expected to be the headliner for the Tigers’ defensive line, particularly off the edge, while Nate Johnson and Darrion Smith are likely to work in some reps throughout the season.
The Tigers’ defense is still expected to be among the best in the SEC this year, particularly after returning several top players from last year’s unit, but the absence of both Faulks may be a tough pill to swallow for DJ Durkin and company. However, we have seen countless times that if there is one thing this defense can do, it is improvise, adapt and overcome.
