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Oregon safety Koi Perich drawing early attention for Ducks
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- Oregon safety Koi Perich drawing early attention for Ducks
When it comes to the transfer portal in college football, few coaches have figured out the "secret sauce" as well as Oregon Ducks ' head man Dan Lanning. Throughout his time in Eugene, he has routinely hit on some of the biggest names, bringing in guys like Bo Nix , Dillon Gabriel , Tez Johnson , Christian Gonzalez , and Jordan Burch , among many others, and quickly turning them from talented but unproven college players into high-end NFL prospects.
One of the latest players to fit this mold is Dillon Thieneman, who came to Oregon from the Purdue Boilermakers, where he was a highly-touted young player with a bit of intrigue surrounding his game. After one year with the Ducks , he further blossomed into an eventual first-round NFL draft pick this past spring.
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Now, the Ducks are looking to run it back with a player of the same mold.
This past offseason, Oregon signed former Minnesota Golden Gophers safety Koi Perich, the No. 1 safety in the transfer portal, hoping he can follow the same path Thieneman did for the Ducks. While he has yet to prove it on the field, there is some early attention on his potential in Eugene.
"Perich proved to be a dynamic playmaker in his two seasons at Minnesota, earning All-Big Ten honors as a true freshman in 2024 after grabbing a conference-leading five interceptions," ESPN's Max Olsen writes . "He has also produced more than 1,100 career yards as a kick returner. He's hoping to follow in first-round pick Dillon Thieneman's footsteps and put together his best season yet in the Ducks' loaded defense."
In their ranking of the top transfers to watch this year, Perich ended up at No. 9 on ESPN's list. While his main draw is obviously deep in the secondary, it will be interesting to see how he is able to contribute in special teams this year, which is something that Oregon could definitely use with the departure of Noah Whittington, one of the more reliable kick-returners we've seen in the past decade in Eugene.
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Going into 2026, the Ducks have a stout defense that features few questions or worries. Perich is part of that, bolstering a deep and talented secondary that could be among the best in the nation when all is said and done.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Koi Perich named early transfer to watch in 2026 for Oregon Ducks
