Let’s see the scene in November 2025, Nashville. Auburn just dropped a heartbreaker to No. 16 Vanderbilt in overtime, 45-38. Most guys would pack up, say the right things, and disappear. Not Keldric Faulk. The junior defensive end stood in that locker room and told reporters exactly what he thought, “Do I think we’re better than that team? Yes, 100%,” Faulk said. “That team is nowhere near better than us. We beat ourselves in that game.” That’s not cockiness. That’s a kid who’s been fighting his entire life. And if you want to understand where that fire comes from, you don’t look at the stat sheet. You look at the two people who raised him.

Who Are Keldric Faulk’s Parents?

Meet Lakendral Barnes, Keldric’s mother. She’s the one who signed him up for football in the first grade. “After that I just started working towards my goal, and my goal was to always make him proud,” Keldric said, referring to his late father. Lakendral has raised Keldric and his younger brother Jakaleb “J.J.” Faulk (a four-star linebacker who’s now at Auburn alongside his big brother), plus a sister named Erica. She works hard behind the scenes. Whether it’s picking out Keldric’s three-piece suit for SEC Media Days (“My mom gets the credit,” he said. “She got me right with the ‘fit,'”) or encouraging her boys to never quit on anything. “It was a thing where I encouraged them to never quit on anything,” she once said. As for giving back? The Faulk brothers host an annual turkey giveaway back home in Highland Home, handing out around 130 turkeys to families in need. Their mom couldn’t be prouder. “Giving back to the community is a blessing,” Barnes said.

What Happened to Keldric Faulk’s Father?

Keldric’s father, Russell Eric Faulk, passed away back in 2008. Keldric was only about three years old. That’s a wound that never really heals. But here’s the beautiful part: Russell’s memory didn’t disappear. It became the fuel. Keldric says he prays to his dad before and after every game. “I always watch his football highlight,” he once revealed. “I definitely feel like it’s a connection between us and football. He’s not here, so I really need that connection.” His brother J.J. feels the same way. “Knowing he played football and that was his favorite sport and it’s kind of mine’s as well, I dedicate a lot of things I do on the field to him playing football. ” And here’s where it gets emotional: when J.J. committed to Auburn, the family chose a specific day. It was their dad’s birthday. “With them it’s a very special day,” Lakendral said. “It’s their dad’s birthday. Their dad was an Auburn fan.” A son can’t hug his father anymore. But he can put on that Auburn jersey and make sure the old man has the best seat in the house.

What Ethnicity Are Keldric Faulk’s Parents?

Neither Lakendral nor Russell have publicly broken down their family trees for a podcast or anything. But Keldric is Black, raised in the heart of rural Alabama, Highland Home, to be exact, a small town where everybody knows everybody. The Faulk name is deeply rooted in the South, and the family’s story is as American as it gets,  a single mom holding it down, a father taken too soon, and two boys turning pain into purpose. That’s not an ethnicity you’ll find on a census form. That’s a culture of resilience.

Keldric Faulk’s Relationship with His Parents

With Lakendral, it’s tight. She’s his rock, his stylist, his biggest fan. “Words can’t describe how I felt,” he’s said about making her proud. With his late father, it’s different, but no less real. Russell isn’t here, but he’s never really left. Keldric plays for him. Prays to him. Wears that No. 15 with his dad in mind. And now? He’s got J.J. right there beside him on the Plains. “He is my brother and also my best friend,” Keldric said. “Just having my best friend back in the same areas as me is one of the best things in the world.”

The 2026 season is a massive one for Auburn and for Faulk. The Tigers open on September 5 against Baylor in Atlanta, then host Southern Miss, Florida, and Vanderbilt in consecutive weeks. After a trip to Tennessee, they’ll face Georgia in Athens, then welcome LSU and Arkansas before closing out at Alabama. That’s a murderer’s row of SEC heavyweights. And with NFL scouts already circling (some mocks have him as high as the first round), every snap matters. Keldric Faulk isn’t just playing for a draft grade. He’s playing for his mom. He’s playing for his brother. And somewhere up there? His dad is watching.