Koi Perich
Koi Perich is a ballhawk safety, a receiver, and a returner -- the kind of athlete who does everything. He's the No. 1 transfer safety in the country, and Oregon brought him in to replace a first-round pick.
Koi Perich is a ballhawk safety, a receiver, and a returner — the kind of athlete who does everything. He's the No. 1 transfer safety in the country, and Oregon brought him in to replace a first-round pick.
Perich arrived as a national name at Minnesota — five interceptions and Freshman All-America honors in 2024, then roughly 82 tackles and All-Big Ten production in 2025 — and he did it as a genuine two-way weapon who also lined up at receiver and returned kicks. Now he's the No. 1 transfer safety in the country and an ESPN top-15 non-quarterback playmaker, landing at Oregon to replace first-round pick Dillon Thieneman. The forward stakes are a featured role on a title contender: a safety with this range, these ball skills and this versatility is the kind of piece a defense builds its disguises around. For Oregon, he's the playmaking centerpiece of a reloaded secondary.
How he plays
Perich is a rangy, ball-hawking safety with rare athletic versatility. The trait that defines him is the ball production — five interceptions as a freshman is elite anticipation and range from the back end — paired with the speed and physicality to play downhill as a tackler (his ~82-tackle 2025 says he'll come up and hit). The two-way utility (snaps at receiver, work as a returner) underlines the athleticism: this is a true playmaker with the ball in the air or in his hands. He's a center-field eraser who can also rob underneath routes, the kind of versatile, instinctive safety the modern two-high game is built to feature.
The story
Perich arrived as a national name at Minnesota -- five interceptions and Freshman All-America honors in 2024, then roughly 82 tackles and All-Big Ten production in 2025 -- and he did it as a genuine two-way weapon who also lined up at receiver and returned kicks. Now he's the No. 1 transfer safety in the country and an ESPN top-15 non-quarterback playmaker, landing at Oregon to replace first-round pick Dillon Thieneman. The forward stakes are a featured role on a title contender: a safety with this range, these ball skills and this versatility is the kind of piece a defense builds its disguises around. For Oregon, he's the playmaking centerpiece of a reloaded secondary.
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
P.J. Fleck
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedR09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
All-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Recognition
Production
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2025
W 24–6
vs Nebraska
3 TOT · 2 SOLO · 1 NO
How he plays
Play style
Perich is a rangy, ball-hawking safety with rare athletic versatility. The trait that defines him is the ball production -- five interceptions as a freshman is elite anticipation and range from the back end -- paired with the speed and physicality to play downhill as a tackler (his ~82-tackle 2025 says he'll come up and hit). The two-way utility (snaps at receiver, work as a returner) underlines the athleticism: this is a true playmaker with the ball in the air or in his hands. He's a center-field eraser who can also rob underneath routes, the kind of versatile, instinctive safety the modern two-high game is built to feature.
Our classifier reads him the same way: plays like an extra linebacker near the line.
2026 Outlook
Minnesota
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive back · Minnesota
Returning around him
- 1 Minnesota player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -1 net (19 in / 20 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Minnesota · Last season: 8-5 · Talent rank #41 · 2026 recruiting class #28
Perception vs tape
Perich arrived as a national name at Minnesota -- five interceptions and Freshman All-America honors in 2024, then roughly 82 tackles and All-Big Ten production in 2025 -- and he did it as a genuine two-way weapon who also lined up at receiver and returned kicks. Now he's the No.
Read the story →DNA match
Player DNA
Box Safety
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Malaki Starks’s 2024 season.
Matches Malaki on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Khmori House's sophomore season at North Carolina (2025).
Matches Khmori on