Yanni Karlaftis is a linebacker at Northwestern who has not played in Northwestern's 8 games this season; the last season with a stat line was 2025.
The consensus depth chart of May 27 lists Karlaftis at LB, No. 1.
Northwestern lists 17 linebackers this season.
Northwestern is 6-2. Next: vs Iowa, Sat Nov 7.
Karlaftis is steady in every phase without a signature trait. The five seasons span two programs and three head coaches: Jeff Brohm, Ryan Walters and David Braun. On tape: 4 tackles against Tulane, Week 1, 2025.
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
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| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Northwestern | 11 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 |
| 2024 | Purdue | 57 | 33 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 2023 | Purdue | 55 | 28 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -- |
| 2022 | Purdue | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- |
| 2021 | Purdue | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 |
| Career | 131 | 73 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4 |
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 4 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 3-23@ Tulane | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 42-7vs Western Illinois | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 14-34vs No. 4 Oregon | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 17-14vs UCLA | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 4 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 2.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
David Braun
Pass share
46.0%
378 pass / 444 run
Plays / game
63.2
13 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
376 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2025
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Returning starter at linebacker for a 7-6 Northwestern team that went +9 in the portal.
A stat line in 30 games over five seasons.
The role got bigger.
Coaching lineage · 2021–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Jeff Brohm, Ryan Walters and David Braun.
