Purdue Football: Top 3 breakout candidates for Boilermakers in 2021
By Dante Pryor
3. George Karlaftis, OLB/DE
Defensive end George Karlaftis is the centerpiece of Purdue’s defense. Karlaftis is the best player on the defense and needs to play as such. Last season Karlaftis was limited because of injuries. The West Lafayette native burst onto the scene as a freshman with 17 tackles for loss, including 7.5 sacks.
Purdue needs Karlaftis to take a step forward this season and play at a high level than he did as a freshman. Jeff Brohm and defensive line coach Mark Hagen are excited about JUCO transfer DaMarcus Mitchell on the other side of Karlaftis.
Mitchell and whoever else rotates in at the defensive end (Jack Sullivan and Robert McWilliams III are candidates) need to ensure that Karlaftis sees as many one-on-one matchups as possible. Conversely, the defensive line needs to take advantage of the attention Karlaftis will receive.
Most importantly — and this is a common theme with Purdue — Karlaftis needs to stay healthy. Hopefully, last season was a one-time situation and not the beginning of an injury-plagued career. According to head coach Jeff Brohm, the adversity has made Karlaftis hungry.
“He lives in the building trying to improve and get better, getting his game to an elite level,” Brohm said. “He wants to study the best defensive ends in the NFL and college. He wants to work on his strength, flexibility, and speed at all times, and he’s feeling healthy.”