Gophers star safety Koi Perich to enter transfer portal

Koi Perich, the star safety from Esko, Minn., who just completed his sophomore season with the Gophers, intends to enter his name into the transfer portal and explore his collegiate options.

Perich, who earned second-team All-America honors from The Sporting News as a freshman in 2024, has not ruled out returning to the Gophers.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the development. The transfer portal opens Friday, Jan. 2, and runs through Jan. 16.

The top-ranked recruit in Minnesota in the 2024 class and the fifth-ranked safety nationally, Perich chose to stay home with the Gophers despite a late push from national power Ohio State on the final weekend before the early signing period.

“It was super close. It came down to the last day,” Perich said during Big Ten Football Media Days in July. “Ohio State is Ohio State, and what I liked more about Minnesota was ultimately just their NFL safeties and what they did in that.”

Perich made an immediate impact with the Gophers as a freshman in 2024 on both defense and special teams. He led the Big Ten and tied for fourth nationally with five interceptions. His interception on a late pass in the end zone sealed the Gophers’ upset of No. 11 USC, and he was famously hoisted onto fans’ shoulders as they rushed the field.

The following game at UCLA, Perich intercepted another late pass to secure a victory. He also had a 60-yard punt return at Michigan that helped the Gophers rally and nearly upset the Wolverines, a 13-tackle game in a close loss to Penn State and eight-tackle game in a win over Wisconsin.

He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a defensive back and second-team honors as a return specialist in 2024.

Perich took the accolades in stride, focusing on improving.

“I haven’t done anything yet,” he told the Minnesota Star Tribune last June. “I have a lot more to do. I just have that mind-set every day.”

As a sophomore, Perich didn’t match his 2024 performance but improved after a sluggish start to the season. He finished with one interception — a 27-yard return for the decisive touchdown in a 27-20 victory over Purdue. He had a difficult game in the 27-14 loss at California, muffing a fourth-quarter punt that the Golden Bears recovered at the Minnesota 8-yard line and converted into a touchdown and 24-14 lead.

He finished third on the team with 82 tackles, made three tackles for loss, broke up two passes and forced one fumble. For the season, Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 62.4, a substantial fall from the 89.9 of 2024.

“I’ve always liked offense since I was a little kid,” Perich said last June. “Anything I can do to help the team. It’s more running, more learning, a little bit more of everything.”

Where might Perich end up if he doesn’t return to the Gophers? Look for potential national title contenders to be in the mix.

Ohio State, the runner-up for Perich’s services in 2024, is a possibility. The Buckeyes are expected to lose star safety Caleb Downs to the NFL draft, and Perich could be a replacement.

Don’t sleep on Oregon, which advanced to the CFP semifinals with a victory over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Ducks added former Purdue standout safety Dylan Thieneman from the transfer portal last year and could follow that route with Perich.