Boilermakers Country

Purdue Defensive End George Karlaftis Makes Bruce Feldman's College Football 'Freaks' List

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.

D.J. Fezler

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Before the start of each college football season, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic compiles a list of the nation's top "freaks" — players who exhibit prowess in the weight room or eye-opening athletic ability.

Ahead of the 2021 season, he included Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis among 101 of the country's most talented athletes. The Boilermaker junior came in at No. 7 on the list.

"One of the biggest recruits the Boilers have landed in the last decade, Karlaftis began his career with a bang, with 17 TFLs and 7.5 sacks in 2019 as a freshman. He had two sacks in three games in an abbreviated 2020, but expectations about him are soaring for 2021. Karlaftis is a remarkable all-around athlete. He played on the U16 Greek national water polo team as a 13-year-old and then became a two-time Indiana state champ in the shot put and started for three seasons on his high school basketball team. At 272 pounds, Karlaftis’ body fat has dropped from 25 percent to 15 percent at Purdue. He power cleans 380, did a 505-pound front squat, a 10-1 broad jump and a 37-inch vertical jump. His 40 this offseason was 4.69. As part of his preparation, he spends an hour a day doing hand-to-hand combat and MMA drills, an hour on rehab/mobility exercises and a third hour watching film.

His position coach Mark Hagan has coached big-time players and says Karlaftis’ overall commitment to being elite is as good as anyone he’s ever been around in terms of “proper nutrition, proper hydration, extra time in the training room to take care of his body, extra stretching, extra meeting and video, extra drill work — every day. I’ve literally got to shut him down at times so he doesn’t overtrain.”

As a freshman, Karlaftis tore apart Big Ten offenses, finished the 2019 season having started all 12 games for Purdue while coming away with 54 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks tied the team lead.

He had an abbreviated sophomore year and appeared in only three games as a result of injury and COVID-19. He still finished with a team-high two sacks and posted four tackles.

Now fully healthy, Karlaftis will be the focal point of a defense that featured a coaching staff overhaul in the offseason. Purdue's defense has been preaching aggressiveness in fall camp, and with a four-man front, the team's defensive star will have a chance to shine. 

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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

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. 

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