George Karlaftis Named Honorary Captain Against Minnesota

Purdue is set to host Minnesota this week, and they’ve announced that their honorary captain will be none other than former All-American and current NFL Super Bowl champion, George Karlaftis.

Karlaftis made an immediate impact as a freshman, starting all 12 games and recording 54 tackles and 7.5 sacks. His performance earned him a spot on the Associated Press Freshman All-American first team. His sophomore year was marred by injuries and COVID-19, but he bounced back in his junior season. He ended his final season at Purdue with 41 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. Over his 27 games for Purdue, Karlaftis earned All-Big Ten honors and was instrumental in Purdue’s 9 wins in his final year.

After his junior year, Karlaftis entered the NFL draft and was selected as the 30th pick in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs. In his rookie year, he became the 19th player in franchise history to start all regular season games and finished the season with the second-most sacks on the team. He has continued his strong performance this season, already recording 14 tackles, 6 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Saturday is sure to be a special day for George, as he returns to his alma mater and gets to see his younger brother, Yanni Karlaftis, take the field.