Koi Perich Likely Leaving Minnesota

PJ Fleck was expecting to lose some Minnesota Gophers football players to the transfer portal this weekend, as is every head football coach around the country. Even losing a coach to rival Wisconsin wasn’t the end of the world.

That’s life in the NIL world these days and while the Gophers keep more talent than most teams, they can’t escape reality of college sports in 2026. But Thursday night’s portal news hurt more than just the average transfer.

Koi Perich is from Esko, MN and when the 4-star recruit chose Minnesota over Ohio State, it was a complete gamechanger for the program.

Minnesota Gophers star Koi Perich enters transfer portal

Then, the homegrown kid earned All-American honors as a freshman, proving himself as one of the best return men and safeties in the entire country. Unfortunately, he took a step back in his development this season.

And now, one of the most talented players to wear a maroon and gold in modern day Gopher history is in the transfer portal looking for an opportunity outside of his home state.

Minnesota safety Koi Perich intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, a source tells ESPN. He’s a two-way player who also plays receiver and returns kicks. He was a freshman All-American in 2024 and made multiple All-Big Ten teams this year. pic.twitter.com/tXq2cINZTo

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 2, 2026

Related: PJ Fleck Expects Most Gophers Starters to Stay; His Players Seem Less Sure

As a true freshman, Koi Perich totaled 46 tackles and led the Big Ten with 5 interceptions to go with 3 passes defended and 1 forced fumble. In 2025, he made way more tackles (82) but grabbed just 1 interception. His PFF grades took a major hit this season too.

Last year, Perich averaged 9.4 yards per punt return (20 returns). This season, he averaged just 6.6 returns on 18 total punt returns. Koi also returned 35 total kicks as a Gopher. He got close a couple of times but never returned any kicks or punts for touchdowns.

No matter how you feel about Koi’s 2025 season, there is no doubt this transfer portal loss will hurt more than others the Minnesota Gophers football team will be slapped with over the next few months.

Not only is Perich oozing with talent, not only was he born and raised in this state… but he’s choosing to leave a school that puts safeties in the NFL like Santa puts presents under the Christmas tree.