ESPN Ranks George Karlaftis Among Top 100 College Football Players for 2021
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As the college football season gets ready to kick off this week, ESPN broke down the top 100 players across the country. The votes were cast, and Purdue junior defensive end George Karlaftis was the only representative of the program on the list.
After appearing in just three games last year, Karlaftis came in at No. 71 on the list. Despite a stellar freshman campaign in 2019, he was unranked before the 2020 season.
As a freshman, Karlaftis started all 12 games for the Boilermakers. He finished the year with 54 tackles, 17 for loss and 7.5 sacks. He was named a first-team Associated Press Freshman All-American and a second-team All-Big Ten selection.
Last season, Karlaftis led Purdue with two sacks and finished the year with four tackles. He was still honored as a second-team All-Big Ten selection.
Here's what ESPN had to say about the Boilermakers' star defensive player:
71. George Karlaftis
DL, Purdue
Junior
Last year's ranking: NA
"Karlaftis didn't get to play the full season in 2020, as he was dealing with an injury and COVID-19 at various points. As a freshman in 2019, Karlaftis was third on the team with 54 total tackles, and he led the team with 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Purdue and Karlaftis are hoping to get that production again in 2021, as he has shown he can be a dominant force along the defensive line."
For the rest of ESPN's top 100 players, simply CLICK HERE.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.