1. George Matthew Karlaftis III is a Greek professional American football defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League.
14 Facts About George Karlaftis
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George Karlaftis was born in Athens and grew up as a multi-sport athlete playing football, track and field, basketball, and water polo, the latter of which he played with the Greek national team.
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George Karlaftis played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers, where he won all-Big Ten honors before being selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.
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George Karlaftis's mother Amy, who had grown up near Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, met Matthew while she was a freshman.
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George Karlaftis was enlisted in the school's football team and had 41 sacks during his high school career.
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George Karlaftis competed in track and field for the school, including winning back-to-back state championships in shot put.
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George Karlaftis played in the 2019 US Army All-American Game, where he was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
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George Karlaftis graduated early from high school and enrolled at Purdue in January 2019.
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George Karlaftis only played in three games as a sophomore in 2020 due to a positive COVID-19 result, finishing the year with four tackles and two sacks.
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George Karlaftis declared for the 2022 NFL draft following the 2021 season in which he recorded 4.5 sacks.
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George Karlaftis was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
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George Karlaftis ended his rookie season with 33 tackles, six sacks, two fumble recoveries, and seven passes defended.
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George Karlaftis was once a youth member of the Greece men's national water polo team.
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George Karlaftis's father, Matthew, was a javelin thrower for the University of Miami's track and field team and tried playing on their football team before suffering a severe skull injury during his first practice with them.