Boilermakers Country

Purdue Defensive End George Karlaftis Rated Among Joshua Perry's Top 30 Big Ten Players

Big Ten Network analyst Joshua Perry has unveiled most of his top 30 football player in the Big Ten Conference. Coming in at No. 6 was Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis.

D.J. Fezler

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Throughout the offseason, Big Ten Network analyst and former Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry has counted down his top 30 players in the conference ahead of the 2021 college football season.

Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis was recognized as not only one of the top defensive players in the Big Ten, but one of the most talented stars overall. He cracked Perry's top 10, coming in at No. 6. 

The 2020 season was a difficult one for Karlaftis. He played in just three games due to injury and COVID-19, but still led the team with two sacks and also recorded four tackles. 

Even with limited time on the field, Karlaftis was a second-team All-Big Ten selection. It was his production as a freshman that creates the benchmark for his potential for the upcoming year. 

"Let's not forget about the type of player that he is," Perry said. "Rewind to 2019, when he was fully available, he was damn near unstoppable." 

Karlaftis started all 12 games for the Boilermakers that year, coming away 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.

Now that he's healthy, Karlaftis looks to return to dominant form for Purdue. 

"Barring any craziness this year, you've gotta feel like he can be one of the best defensive linemen in the Big Ten Conference," Perry said.  

Here's a list of the players that Perry has ranked thus far: 

Joshua Perry's Top 30 Big Ten Players

  • 30. Spencer Petras, Iowa QB 
  • 29. Master Teague, Ohio State RB
  • 28. Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers LB 
  • 27. Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State TE 
  • 26. JoJo  Domann, Nebraska LB
  • 25. Jalen Berger, Wisconsin RB 
  • 24. Peyton Hendershot, Indiana TE 
  • 23. Jake Hanson, Illinois LB
  • 22. Jaylin Williams, Indiana CB 
  • 21. Bo Melton, Rutgers WR 
  • 20. Thayer Munford Jr., Ohio State OL
  • 19. Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan DE 
  • 18. Tanner Morgan, Minnesota QB
  • 17. Jack Sanburn, Wisconsin LB
  • 16. Tiawan Mullen, Indiana CB
  • 15. Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin TE
  • 14. David Bell, Purdue WR
  • 13. Micah McFadden, Indiana LB 
  • 12. Graham Mertz, Wisconsin QB
  • 11. Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska CB 
  • 10. Michael Penix Jr., Indiana QB
  • 9. Haskell Garrett, Ohio State DT 
  • 8. Ty Fryfogle, Indiana WR 
  • 7. Jahan Dotson, Penn State WR 
  • 6. George Karlaftis, Purdue DE

Related Stories on Purdue Football

  • BIG TEN DAILY, AUG. 22: C.J. Stroud was named Ohio State's starting quarterback, Penn State will not require masks outdoors at Beaver Stadium and former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth caught two touchdowns for the Steelers on Saturday. CLICK HERE 
  • DAVID BELL RANKED No. 14 IN BIG TEN: Big Ten Network analyst Joshua Perry has unveiled more than half of his top 30 conference football players. Coming in at No. 14 was Purdue junior wide receiver David Bell. CLICK HERE 
  • KARLAFTIS NAMED SECOND-TEAM PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Purdue junior defensive end George Karlaftis has earned several preseason honors ahead of the 2021 season. He'll look to lead the Boilermakers in hopes of returning to dominant form after playing in just three games last year. 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

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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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