Souhan: Nobody knows how high the ceiling is for Koi Perich

I’ve lived in Minnesota for only 35½ years. Thankfully, lifelong Minnesotans have welcomed me anyway, giving me an unlaminated, temporary “One Of Us” ID card. I’m sure they’ll correct the spelling of my name when I’m eligible to get my renewed temporary card in 2050.

Anyway, I haven’t been in town long enough to regale anyone with tales of Bronko Nagurski and Sandy Stephens, so accept my apologies for recency bias when I say this:

Koi Perich might be the best Gophers football player I’ve ever seen.

On Monday, the sophomore safety was named a preseason second-team All-American by the Associated Press. Last year, he started only three games yet had five interceptions and three tackles for loss, while immediately becoming the Gophers’ best punt and kick returner.

His stats, though, don’t tell his story.

You don’t have to know much about football to identify Perich’s leaping ability, timing, body control, agility, speed and explosiveness. Even playing against quality Big Ten teams, he often looked like the best player on the field.

On Monday, the Gophers held a news conference at which coach P.J. Fleck, offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. and defensive coordinator Danny Collins all talked about Perich, who will contribute as an offensive player this season.

Perich is not likely to stick around town long, so let’s appreciate him while he’s here.

A short list of Gophers standouts since 1990 includes Laurence Maroney, Matt Spaeth, Marion Barber, Antoine Winfield, Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Eric Decker, Adam Weber, Blake Cashman, De’Vondre Campbell, Tyler Nubin and Ra’Shede Hageman.

Maroney’s speed, Decker’s toughness and Winfield’s clutch plays are what I remember most. In the NFL, Winfield won a Super Bowl as a rookie starter, and Cashman has proved to be one of the most important players on a remarkably talented Vikings defense.

Perich has a chance to be better than any of them, and to be something we haven’t seen in decades in Minnesota — a true two-way standout.

He’s not exactly like Travis Hunter, who played both ways at Colorado and was the second pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Hunter was a standout corner who also starred at receiver.

“Players make money,” Fleck said. “He’s so focused on what he wants to do, he has such intentionality with his money, he’s already thinking 10, 20, 30 years down the road, the sports facility he wants to open and franchise. He’s just an elite thinker.

“I give him a lot of credit, because for being so young, and having this thing hit him so fast, I think there’s a lot of people who are not mature enough to handle that.”

Perich was rated as the No. 1 recruit in Minnesota during his senior year in high school. Fleck was able to sign him and followed that by getting a commitment from the top Minnesota recruit in the 2026 class, Roman Voss.

Fleck has recruited well. Landing Voss was impressive. Perich conjures a different adjective, one much rarer.

Perich might be unique.

Hunter is unique. Shohei Ohtani is unique. In fact, if Ohtani could stay healthy enough to pitch and be a regular position player, he’d be able to claim that he’s better than Babe Ruth, who played in an era when Black players were barred and flamethrowing relivers were not common.

Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, both of whom played in the NFL and Major League Baseball, were unique.

Perich has a chance to be a rare story — a kid from little Esko, Minn., who turns down college football powerhouses to stay in his home state, then prepares to star on both sides of the ball.