Minnesota safety Koi Perich plans to enter the NCAA Transer Portal

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Nov 1, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) celebrates against the Michigan State Spartans during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Alex Byington

Fri, Jan 2, 2026 ·

2 min read

Minnesota multi-dimensional playmaker Koi Perich plans to enter the NCAA Transer Portalwhen it opens at midnight, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Perich, who plays safety and receiver as well as contributes as a kick returner, will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Perich, who has not ruled out returning to the Gophers according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel , has been a major contributor since stepping on campus last year, earning All-Big Ten honors each of his first two seasons in Minnesota.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back ranked third on the team with 82 total tackles, including 8 for loss, one interception, one sack and one forced fumble defensively. Perich also contributed 617 return yards, including 499 on kick returns, on special teams while adding seven receptions for 89 yards offensively.

Perich signed with the Gophers as a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, where he was ranked the No. 1 player out of Minnesota, the No. 4 safety in the class and a Top 60-ranked player overall according to the Rivals Industry Rankings , a weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting media companies.

Appearing in all 13 games as a true freshman, including three starts, Perich recorded 46 tackles, 2.5 for loss, a team-high five interceptions, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble. Thanks to his breakout rookie season, Perich earned Sporting News Second-Team All-America honors, FWAA Freshman All-America recognition, First-Team All-Big Ten as a defensive back, Second-Team All-Big Ten as a return specialist, and was a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.

This past August, Gophers’ head coach P.J. Fleck discussed Perich’s ability to stay grounded despite the attention and recognition.

“I think you do your best,” Fleck said in August according to GophersNation . “But I’m not saying that it’s hard to keep him grounded, cause he keeps himself humbled and grounded. … Koi has a very unique mindset. And I mean that in the best way, because I haven’t met many people like him. Where his response mechanisms are, he can flush it so quickly. He can focus so intensely on something.”

— On3’s Dylan Callaghan-Croley contributed to this report.