Karlaftis was a force in some of Purdue's biggest wins. Perhaps his most memorable play of the season was a 56-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Wisconsin (Oct. The junior was one of only four Big Ten defenders to force at least three fumbles throughout the 2021 campaign.
His 11.5 tackles for loss ranked seventh in the Big Ten, as Karlaftis recorded at least 1.0 TFL in eight of nine conference games. Karlaftis became the first Boilermaker on the defensive side of the ball to be tabbed First Team All-Big Ten since defensive tackle Kawann Short in 2012. The Purdue defensive end was a consensus First Team All-Big Ten honoree, earning all-conference honors for the second time in his career. Karlaftis led the Boilermakers in tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (5.0), forced fumbles (3), fumble recoveries (2) and quarterback hurries (8). He is also a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the top defensive end in college football.
The West Lafayette, Indiana, native was one of the best defensive players in the Big Ten all season long, exemplified as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award that is given to the defensive player of the year. Joining Ryan Kerrigan (2010), the last Boilermaker to earn Walter Camp All-America honors prior to this season, Karlaftis became another All-American defensive lineman for Purdue.
His three touchdowns versus the Huskies matched a career high, and he became only the second Purdue wide receiver to record multiple games with three receiving touchdowns. 4) before following it up with a 121-yard, six-catch, three-touchdown outing at UConn (Sept. With the pair of performances, Bell joined Brian Alford as the only Boilermakers with multiple 200-yard receiving games in a season.īell started his 2021 campaign with a 134-yard, eight-catch effort vs. 6), hauling in 11 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown to lead Purdue to another Top-5 win. He added another 200-yard day against No. 16) with 11 catches for 240 yards, the 2nd-most receiving yards ever by a Boilermaker in a single game. His 8.0 receptions per game is currently the 2nd-most for an active NCAA career.īell torched No. Bell has averaged an FBS-leading 101.6 receiving yards per game for his career, the only active receiver in triple digits. He also ranks in the school's all-time Top 10 for receptions (4th), receiving yards (5th) and receiving touchdowns (T-5th). With 1,286 receiving yards on the year, the Indianapolis native's total sits second in program history, just 21 yards shy of the school record for a single season.Įclipsing the 100-yard plateau in seven of his 11 games in 2021, Bell set a new Purdue record with 17 career 100-yard receiving games. He broke the 17-year drought of a Purdue wide receiver landing on the Walter Camp All-America list, as Taylor Stubblefield became an All-American following a 2004 season in which he was a Biletnikoff Award finalist as well.īell leads the Big Ten in catches per game (8.5) and receiving yards per game (116.9), ranking second and fourth in the country, respectively. Bell was one of the best receivers nationwide as a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. With Bell and Karlaftis making the lists, the duo became the first pair of Boilermakers to be tabbed Walter Camp All-Americans in the same season since Otis Armstrong (halfback) and Dave Butz (defensive tackle) in 1972.Īs the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year, the best receiver in the Big Ten, Bell's accolades continue to add up from a stellar junior campaign. The Walter Camp All-America teams were announced Thursday night on ESPN as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show. Purdue wide receiver David Bell earned First Team All-America accolades, while defensive end George Karlaftis collected Second Team All-America honors. – For the first time since 1972, multiple Boilermakers were named All-Americans by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.