Koi Perich, Minnesota Gophers
Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
P.J. Fleck is now under two weeks away from leading his Minnesota Gophers out of the tunnel against the Buffalo Bulls. Max Brosmer is gone and competing for a spot with the Minnesota Vikings. The Drake Lindsey era is about to begin.
Beyond just who’s under center, there may be no more exciting prospect in the sport than safety Koi Perich. The Esko, Minnesota product stayed home. He then stayed home again when the portal could have been a reality.
Koi Perich, Minnesota Gophers
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Now set to play on both sides of the ball, his arrow is pointing straight up. It’s going to take additional effort from Perich to thrive in this role, but the Travis Hunter comparisons aren’t going to slow down.
Koi Perich will do it all for Minnesota Gophers
Last season Travis Hunter took the college football world by storm on his way to a Heisman trophy. He played at an incredibly high level on both sides of the football. Koi Perich will attempt to do the same thing this season for the Minnesota Gophers, and it’s possible that Fleck’s star takes Minnesota to new heights.
The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman is convinced he’s the real deal, and he certainly didn’t hold back on the Hunter comparisons.
Travis Hunter blazed a path for current and future two-way football stars by channeling his exceptional athletic ability into an unprecedented workload during last year’s Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at Colorado. First in line to follow his example is Minnesota’s sophomore safety, who made an immediate impact in his debut college season and has eyes on adding to his plate this fall. He’s perhaps the most versatile threat in college football, but the major question facing Perich is whether he can produce on offense while remaining effective on defense, where he primarily shined as a freshman.
It requires talent, conditioning and endurance for any player to threaten Hunter’s average of 119 snaps per game. But it’s not hyperbole to suggest Perich can approach a similar snap count while impacting games on both sides of the ball. As a true freshman last fall, Perich led the Big Ten with five interceptions and was the only Football Bowl Subdivision freshman since 1976 to total more than 100 punt return yards (188), 100 kick return yards (314) and five interceptions in a season. Among Big Ten performers, Perich ranked fourth in punt return average and sixth as a kick returner.
The Athletic
While the direct correlation between Hunter and Perich doesn’t have to be statistical production based, it will be worth watching overall snap rates. It’s clear that Fleck is going to unplug the firehose and douse Perich with as much as he can handle as well.
“This isn’t a gimmick. This is a real thing where he’s going to play offense. It could be a Wildcat quarterback. He’s going to be on defense, he’s going to kick return, he’s going to punt return. But Koi will show us what he can handle and how much we give him. We’re going to do as much as Koi will allow us to do. There’s not a lot of people who can do that and do it successfully. We feel Koi can, and I’m not comparing him to Travis by any means, but I’m saying that he is somebody who did it within the last decade. That’s how hard it really is. And if you’re going to do it, you’ve got to be both feet in on it. But if there’s one person that can do it, it’s Koi.”
P.J. Fleck – The Athletic
How much Perich can handle in this role is something that remains to be seen. He’s an uber-talented athlete that plays football. He has played offense and defense, but he lives between the lines. It’s not a leap to suggest he isn’t the biggest film or preparation guy. To what extent that holds him back remains to be seen.
Related: Koi Perich Leaving Gophers for Vikings ASAP
If Perich can fully commit to excellence on both sides of the football though, he’s going to have the opportunity to do something specia.
Perich and MN Gophers have opportunity in front of them
Minnesota’s schedule isn’t exactly a house of horrors this season. They travel to both Oregon and Ohio State, but there isn’t another opponent on the docket that looks like a guaranteed loss. That should be invigorating for both Perich and Fleck.
Although Minnesota went just 8-5 last season, they built momentum with their Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. This is Fleck’s opportunity to prove he got the quarterback position right again in the form of Drake Lindsey.
Minnesota’s Koi Perich is one of the best players in the country
Playing both ways and as a returner he impacts the game in so many ways
So excited to watch him this year pic.twitter.com/A6RRksuAc9
— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) July 11, 2025
Perich led the Big Ten last season with five interceptions. He added 46 tackles and has three behind the line of scrimmage. He’ll now rack up offensive statistics as well, and the more Minnesota can push him into positive production the better.
Related: New Gophers QB Tasked With More Responsibilities at LOS
Travis Hunter doesn’t have to be the measuring stick, but Perich is just a sophomore and it’s up to him if the bar is going to be raised.
Mentioned in this article: Koi Perich Travis Hunter More About:Minnesota Gophers Football