Purdue Defensive End George Karlaftis Named Lott IMPACT Trophy Semifinalist
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has named the eight semifinalists for the 2021 Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott and recognizes student-athletes for their on and off the field contributions.
Purdue junior defensive end was one of eight players named a semifinalist. The winner of the 18th Annual Lott IMPACT Trophy will be announced at the award show in Newport Beach, California, on Dec. 12, 2021. Four finalists will be invited to attend.
During the regular season, Karlaftis recorded 36 total tackles, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
“Karlaftis’ film is pass-rusher nirvana," Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports said. "The dude legitimately looks like an NFL defensive end today, yet he plays with the hustle, tenacity and attention to detail of an undersized rusher from a lesser conference.”
2021 Lott IMPACT Trophy Semifinalists
- Coby Bryant, Cincinnati
- Damone Clark, LSU
- Yusuf, Corker, Kentucky
- Jordan Davis, Georgia
- Nakobe Dean, Georgia
- Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
- George Karlaftis, Purdue
- Devin Lloyd, Utah
Previous Winners of the Lott IMPACT Trophy
- 2004 – David Pollack, Georgia
- 2005 – DeMeco Ryans, Alabama
- 2006 – Dante Hughes, Cal
- 2007 – Glenn Dorsey, LSU
- 2008 – James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
- 2009 – Jerry Hughes, TCU
- 2010 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
- 2011 – Luke Kuechly, Boston College
- 2012 – Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
- 2013 – Anthony Barr, UCLA
- 2014 – Eric Kendricks, UCLA
- 2015 – Carl Nassib, Penn State
- 2016 – Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
- 2017 – Josey Jewell, Iowa
- 2018 – Josh Allen, Kentucky
- 2019 – Derek Brown, Auburn
- 2020 – Paddy Fisher, Northwestern
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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.