Gophers football gets commitment from Esko's Koi Perich, a four-star safety

Koi Perich, a four-star safety from Esko announced Wednesday on Twitter that he has committed to the Gophers football program, picking Minnesota over six other Big Ten schools.

Perich, 6-1 and 195 pounds, is the second-ranked player in Minnesota and the 28th-ranked safety nationally in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports.com. He has scholarship offers from nine other FBS programs, including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Washington and Wisconsin.

Perich made his third unofficial visit to the Minnesota campus on Saturday and attended the Gophers' Junior Day in January. He also made unofficial visits to Washington, Michigan and Wisconsin, along with attending Iowa's Junior Day.

Perich had 75 tackles, three interceptions and four fumble recoveries for Esko during the 2022 season. He also excelled as a versatile player on offense and special teams, rushing for 813 yards and 11 touchdowns, catching 17 passes for 353 yards and nine TDs, and adding five kickoff or punt return TDs.

Perich is the highest-ranked player by 247Sports in the Gophers' 2024 class, which now has 11 members. As of Wednesday morning, Minnesota's class was ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 15^th nationally by the 247Sports composite of national recruiting services.