I wasn't happy about it.
I think he wants to see what his options are at this point of his journey...Thats what he's saying publicly and I believe him.
Lots of $$ at stake in the interim. I dont blame him. Sadly, programs like the Gophs are training camps for the big nil $ programs now...
Portal makes it so much easier to move around.
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Koi Perich, the star safety from Esko, Minn., who just completed his sophomore season with the Gophers, intends to enter his name into the transfer portal and explore his collegiate options.
Perich, who earned second-team All-America honors from The Sporting News as a freshman in 2024, has not ruled out returning to the Gophers.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the development. The transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2, and runs through Jan. 16.
The top-ranked recruit in Minnesota in the 2024 class and the fifth-ranked safety nationally, Perich chose to stay home with the Gophers despite a late push from national power Ohio State on the final weekend before the early signing period.
“It was super close. It came down to the last day,” Perich said during Big Ten Football Media Days in July. “Ohio State is Ohio State, and what I liked more about Minnesota was ultimately just their NFL safeties and what they did in that.”
Where might Perich end up if he doesn’t return to the Gophers? Look for potential national title contenders to be in the mix.
Ohio State, the runner-up for Perich’s services in 2024, is a possibility. The Buckeyes are expected to lose star safety Caleb Downs to the NFL draft, and Perich could be a replacement.
Don’t sleep on Oregon, which advanced to the CFP semifinals with a victory over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Ducks added former Purdue standout safety Dillon Thieneman from the transfer portal last year and could follow that route with Perich.
Miami (Fla.), another national semifinalist after beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31, could be an option, with former Gophers defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman running the Hurricanes defense.
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