George Karlaftis Wins National Defensive Player of the Year

Coach Jeff Brohm has compiled a top-25 recruiting class for the 2019 season. He didn’t have to go very far to get his top recruit, George Karlaftis, a four-star defensive end from West Lafayette High School.

Karlaftis is the number 1 recruit out of the state of Indiana, and the 48th highest ranked recruit in the nation. He turned down offers from USC, Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Michigan. He is a big piece of the first full recruiting class for Coach Brohm, and a major get for a program that stuck in a state usually void of top caliber talent.

Karlaftis is still enjoying the fruits of his high school career, racking up a big national award on the eve of playing in the U.S. Army All-American Award.

George Karlaftis was named the American Family Insurance Defensive Player of the Year in San Antonio.

Karlaftis’ senior season was a display of his tenacity and physical potential. He was consistently in the backfield and making big plays for the Red Devils all season. He had 107 tackles on the season, an incredible 56 of those for loss, and 17.5 sacks.

He’s not alone in San Antonio. Purdue commit Kyle Bilodeau, TE, is also playing in the game, and potential and hopeful Purdue commit David Bell, WR, will also be playing in Saturday’s game.

The game will be televised tomorrow, January 5th, at 1 pm on NBC.