2025 Football Roster
Karlaftis, Yannis

Jersey Number 14
Yannis Karlaftis
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 235
- Position:
- LB
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- Hometown:
- Athens, Greece
- High School:
- West Lafayette HS (Ind.)
- Prev School:
- Purdue
Bio
2024 Redshirt Junior (at Purdue):
Played in all 12 games and made four starts … Earned 57 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and a pass breakup … Finished third on the team in tackles … Had a season-high eight tackles three times, against Nebraska (9/28), Oregon (9/18) and Northwestern (11/2) … Had a solo tackle for loss vs. Oregon (10/18) … Ended the season with seven tackles and a half-sack at Indiana (11/30) … Named Academic All-Big Ten.
2023 Redshirt Sophomore (at Purdue):
Appeared in all 12 games with eight starts … Made the fourth most tackles on the team with 55 total, including 28 solo stops … Set a career-high with a team-best nine tackles against Ohio State (10/14) … Totaled 2.5 sacks for 13 yards on the season … Had one fumble recovery against Ohio State (10/14) … Racked up eight tackles in games against Illinois (9/30) and Nebraska (10/28).
2022 Redshirt First-Year (at Purdue):
Appeared in nine games, seeing action on both defense and special teams … Recorded four total tackles, including two solo stops … Had a half sack against Indiana State (9/10) … Made a season-high two tackles in games against Indiana State (9/10) and Northwestern (11/19).
2021 First-Year (at Purdue):
Appeared in four games … Made collegiate debut with a tackle against UConn (9/11) … Redshirted.
High School:
Four-star recruit by 247Sports … No. 16-ranked outside linebacker and No. 3-ranked recruit overall in Indiana by 247Sports … Four-star recruit by ESPN … No. 26-ranked outside linebacker, No. 2-ranked recruit overall in Indiana and No. 24 in the region by ESPN … Four-star recruit by Rivals … No. 186-ranked overall recruit, No. 14-ranked outside linebacker and No. 3-ranked recruit overall in Indiana by Rivals … In four years, totaled 241 tackles, 134 solo, with 23.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks to go along with seven interceptions, four forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries, according to MaxPreps … Helped West Lafayette HS to an 8-2 mark in 2020 and a 4-0 record in the Hoosier-West Conference.
Personal:
Graduated with an undergraduate degree in selling & sales management from Purdue …. Parent(s): Matthew and Amy Karlaftis … Sibling(s): Annie, Nicko, and George … George was an All-American defensive end at Purdue and was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs … His father, Matthew, threw javelin and played football at the University of Miami … Born in Athens, Greece.
Played in all 12 games and made four starts … Earned 57 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and a pass breakup … Finished third on the team in tackles … Had a season-high eight tackles three times, against Nebraska (9/28), Oregon (9/18) and Northwestern (11/2) … Had a solo tackle for loss vs. Oregon (10/18) … Ended the season with seven tackles and a half-sack at Indiana (11/30) … Named Academic All-Big Ten.
2023 Redshirt Sophomore (at Purdue):
Appeared in all 12 games with eight starts … Made the fourth most tackles on the team with 55 total, including 28 solo stops … Set a career-high with a team-best nine tackles against Ohio State (10/14) … Totaled 2.5 sacks for 13 yards on the season … Had one fumble recovery against Ohio State (10/14) … Racked up eight tackles in games against Illinois (9/30) and Nebraska (10/28).
2022 Redshirt First-Year (at Purdue):
Appeared in nine games, seeing action on both defense and special teams … Recorded four total tackles, including two solo stops … Had a half sack against Indiana State (9/10) … Made a season-high two tackles in games against Indiana State (9/10) and Northwestern (11/19).
2021 First-Year (at Purdue):
Appeared in four games … Made collegiate debut with a tackle against UConn (9/11) … Redshirted.
High School:
Four-star recruit by 247Sports … No. 16-ranked outside linebacker and No. 3-ranked recruit overall in Indiana by 247Sports … Four-star recruit by ESPN … No. 26-ranked outside linebacker, No. 2-ranked recruit overall in Indiana and No. 24 in the region by ESPN … Four-star recruit by Rivals … No. 186-ranked overall recruit, No. 14-ranked outside linebacker and No. 3-ranked recruit overall in Indiana by Rivals … In four years, totaled 241 tackles, 134 solo, with 23.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks to go along with seven interceptions, four forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries, according to MaxPreps … Helped West Lafayette HS to an 8-2 mark in 2020 and a 4-0 record in the Hoosier-West Conference.
Personal:
Graduated with an undergraduate degree in selling & sales management from Purdue …. Parent(s): Matthew and Amy Karlaftis … Sibling(s): Annie, Nicko, and George … George was an All-American defensive end at Purdue and was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs … His father, Matthew, threw javelin and played football at the University of Miami … Born in Athens, Greece.
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