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Purdue LB Yanni Karlaftis looks to build on breakout performance

On3 imageby:Tom Dienhart•10/04/23•

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(Chad Krockover)

The numbers on the stat sheet stood out: eight tackles, a sack and TFL. It was a breakout game for inside linebacker Yanni Karlaftis last week in Purdue’s 44-19 win vs. Illinois.

“In my mind, nothing really changes,” said Karlaftis, who has 16 tackles for Purdue (2-3 overall; 1-1 Big Ten) this season. “I just gotta keep focusing and doing what I have been doing and hopefully everything will keep on going the same way.”

Next up: Karlaftis and the Boilermakers square off vs. Iowa at 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock in Kinnick Stadium.

An injury to No. 1 inside linebacker OC Brothers created an opportunity for Karlaftis last week to step up. And, the product of nearby West Lafayette High School seized his moment in what was a career day for a player who shuffled between the line and linebacker early on his career.

“Yanni is Yanni,” said Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane. “He’s got a certain edge about him where I thought he had a great week of practice going into that week, so I had high fortunes for him.

“The first play of the game, he busted for a big run. But, after that, he kind of settled down. He’s an energy guy. He makes big plays and people feed off his energy, I think. He’s got a certain mentality about him where he’s got a fighter’s mentality. He wants to go out and win and fight and play with that good energy.”

Karlaftis will look to continue to make his own mark in the wake of the path big brother George carved at Purdue from 2019-21 before being a first-round selection of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.

The effort vs. the Fighting Illini wasn’t necessarily validation for Karlaftis. Still, it was a confidence-builder.

“It makes me feel better,” said Karlaftis. “But I’ve known that I can do this kind of thing and been able to play this way. So, I guess it doesn’t validate myself, but I guess it helps a little bit.”

MORE: The 3-2-1 | Opponent View: Iowa | Purdue Air-Raid Offense Grinding it Out | Opponent View: Iowa

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