George Karlaftis Named 2021 CBS Sports / 247Sports Preseason Second Team All-American
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As the 2021 college football season inches closer for Purdue, the team's star defensive end George Karlaftis picked up another preseason honor.
Karlaftis was selected to the CBS Sports / 247Sports second-team preseason All-American team on Wednesday. The two media outlets joined together to project which of the country's best players they expect to perform this upcoming season.
Now an upperclassman, Karlaftis is expected to be a leader for the Boilermakers on the defensive side of the ball. Despite playing in just three games during the 2020 season due to injury and COVID-19, he still led the team with two sacks and also recorded four tackles.
Even with limited play, Karlaftis was a second-team All-Big Ten selection last year.
As a freshman in 2019, Karlaftis was an immediate contributor for the program. He started in all 12 games and finished the season with 54 tackles, including 30 solo stops. He registered a team-high 17 tackles for loss and tied the team-lead with 7.5 sacks on the year.
In his first season at the college level, Karlaftis also had two pass deflections, one interception and a forced fumble. After his breakout campaign, he was a second-team All-Big Ten selection.
The Purdue defense is expecting another high-quality season from Karlaftis now that he is at full health.
Stories Related to Purdue Football
- BIG TEN DAILY, AUG. 19: Ohio State long snapper Roen McCullough announced he is medically retiring, Northwestern football revealed a documentary trailer on its 2020 season and Minnesota and Maryland made the top eight list for a three-star basketball recruit. CLICK HERE
- GEORGE KARLAFTIS NAMED ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM BY THE ATHLETIC: George Karlaftis was the lone Purdue football player named to The Athletic's 2021 preseason All-America teams. As a freshman, he recorded 54 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. CLICK HERE
- KARLAFTIS NAMED COLLEGE FOOTBALL "FREAK": George Karlaftis was tearing up Big Ten defenses as a freshman in 2019. He enters the upcoming season as one of the most physically talented athletes in the country, according to Bruce Feldman. CLICK HERE
- PURDUE TO PLAY 5 RANKED OPPONENTS: Purdue faces one of the most difficult schedules in all of the college football during the 2021 season. The team will play five of the programs ranked inside the preseason AP Top 25. 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.