OT: Gophers Perich tabbed as pre-season All American

[Montana Tom]

Koi Perich Pre-Season All American

This Minnesota kid is just going into his Sophomore season at U of M.
He's gonna be a stud Safety in the NFL someday.
Incredible athlete...local boy.

Historic as well - The first Minnesota freshman to be named an All-American since 1972 (!) when the NCAA allowed freshmen to play to college football.

[purplefaithful]

I can only listen to PJ for about 4 minutes and I have to tune-out.

But his latest recruiting classes look good on paper and he's done a good job keeping the top home-grown talent in state the last few years.

[MAD GAINZ]

I think he's going to be a first round pick when he declares for the draft.

[Montana Tom]

I think he's going to be a first round pick when he declares for the draft.

He's doing okay on NIL money now.
I am going to go out on a limb and say that with the incremental NCAA revenue sharing PLUS the NIL money these kids are able to tap into, that he plays a full four years for the Gophers (I don't think he red-shirted last year...he ended up playing too much I believe).

So for the 2028 draft, I would agree with your first-round prediction.  He's only going to get better.

[purplefaithful]

Speaking of Goph's, Fleck getting rewarded...

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck will get a one-year contract extension with increased retention bonuses, pending approval at the next Board of Regents meeting July 11.

The Fleck contract news came public Thursday, the same day university documents showed that the Gophers athletic department projects a $8.75 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026.

The Gophers anticipated a $3.5 million deficit for fiscal 2025 and wound up nearly balanced. Athletic director Mark Coyle has prided himself on balancing the budget each year, but athletic departments across the country have been anticipating shortfalls, with schools now on the hook to pay athletes $20.5 million in annual revenue sharing from the recent “House vs. NCAA” settlement.

Fleck’s six-year deal would keep him under contract through 2030. He’s in his ninth year as Gophers coach and coming off a 8-5 season, which included a victory over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

“P.J. has consistently recruited and coached teams that Minnesotans can be proud of on and off the field,” Coyle said in a statement. “The program has produced record GPAs and 10 Academic All-Americans under Fleck, and his teams have won a consistent level not seen in more than 75 years.”

The Gophers last amended Fleck’s contract on March 1, 2024, after he’d been pursued by UCLA.

In the first year of that deal, Fleck made $6 million in salary this past season, plus a $700,000 retention bonus.
Under the new deal, Fleck’s salary would remain $6 million, but he would receive a $1 million retention bonus after Year 1 and $1.6 million after Year 6.