George Karlaftis
| Purdue Boilermakers – No. 5 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Class | Junior |
| Major | Retail Management |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 3, 2001 Athens, Greece |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| Bowl games | |
| High school | West Lafayette (West Lafayette, Indiana) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Yoros "George" Matthew Karlaftis (born April 3, 2001) is an American football defensive end for the Purdue Boilermakers. A native of Greece, he moved to the United States when he was 13. Karlaftis was a multi-sport athlete as a youth, playing football, track and field, basketball, and water polo; the latter of which he played with the Greek national team.
Early years[]
He was born Yoros[spelling?] Karlaftis on April 3, 2001, in Athens, Greece.[1][2] His father Matthew died of a heart attack in 2014, leaving his mother Amy to move him and his two siblings to her hometown of West Lafayette, Indiana in the United States.[2] He began attending West Lafayette High School soon after arriving and Anglicized his name to George.[1] Karlaftis had 41 sacks during his high school career.[3] He played in the 2019 U.S. Army All-American Game, where he was named the Defensive Player of the Year.[4][5] He also performed track and field for the school, including winning back-to-back state championships in shot put.[2] Karlaftis committed to Purdue University to play college football.[6][7]
College career[]
As a true freshman at Purdue in 2019, Karlaftis started all 12 games, recording 54 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He only played in three games as a sophomore in 2020 due to a positive COVID-19 result, finishing the year with four tackles and two sacks.[8]
Personal life[]
Karlaftis was once a youth member of the Greece men's national water polo team.[2] His father Matthew performed track and field and played football at the University of Miami until suffering a severe skull injury.[2] His brother Yanni won a judo world championship while in Greece and joined the Boilermakers as a linebacker in 2021.[2]
References[]
- ^ a b Joey. "Purdue's George Karlaftis 1000% Needs To Go By His Greek Name". Barstool Sports. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f King, Sam. "Once told he 'sucks at football,' Division I prospect has long list of suitors". Journal & Courier. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ Freshman DL Karlaftis could add punch to Purdue pass rush
- ^ West Lafayette's George Karlaftis, Purdue football on national stage at All-American Bowl
- ^ West Lafayette's George Karlaftis wins national award
- ^ Four-star DE George Karlaftis commits to Purdue
- ^ Early Commit: DE George Karlaftis to Purdue
- ^ Purdue Boilermakers DE George Karlaftis tests positive for COVID-19
External links[]
- 2001 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Athens
- People from West Lafayette, Indiana
- Players of American football from Indiana
- American football defensive ends
- Purdue Boilermakers football players
- Greek male water polo players
- Greek players of American football
- Greek male shot putters
- Track and field athletes from Indiana
- All-American college football players