With how hectic the last few days have been since the Oregon Ducks’ 2025 season came to a close, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. They’ve lost upwards of 20 players departing via the transfer portal, as the roster is stacked with depth and talent wherever you look.
Players have also announced that they’re returning for another season, most notably the entire defensive line, sparking a number of reserves to transfer.
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What has also come out of the last few days, and more specifically on Monday, has been head coach Dan Lanning going to work in adding players through the portal as well.
He secured the commitment of four new Ducks on Monday morning and another on Monday night — and this one is a big fish, as former Minnesota safety Koi Perich was a star in two seasons with the Golden Gophers.
Here’s five things to know about the newest Duck standout.
All Three Phases
On every headline that you’ll see, Perich will be listed as a safety. But in reality, you could also add wide receiver, punt returner and kick returner to his positions, as he did everything for the Golden Gophers from the moment he stepped on campus as a true freshman.
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In total, Perich had 128 tackles, six interceptions, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a sack on defense in two seasons. Offensively, he had seven catches for 89 yards and five carries for nine yards while returning 40 punts for 306 yards and 35 kickoffs for 813 yards on special teams.
To put it simply, the Ducks got an absolute difference-maker in all three phases of the game, as he showcased himself as one of the most versatile players in all of college football.
Vikings Dream
Some kids dream of playing for their local college football team. Others dream bigger, instead dreaming of playing for their local NFL team. Perich fits into the latter category, as he revealed that he never dreamed of playing for the Golden Gophers as a kid out of Esko, MN; instead, he dreamed of playing for the Vikings.
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In fact, “I would just skip through college if I could and just gone straight to the Vikings… but… you gotta do your three years,” he said during Minnesota’s media day in 2025.
Top-Ranked Safety
To get a gauge of just how coveted Perich was in the transfer portal, all you need to know is that he was the top-ranked safety and No. 11 ranked player overall, coming in with a four-star rating, per 247 Sports.
That also means that the Ducks have reeled in the top-ranked safety in the transfer portal two seasons in a row, as Dillon Thieneman was also rated as a four-star. Thieneman turned out to be pretty good, earning second-team AP All-American honors in his first season at Oregon.
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The hope is that Perich can have a similar impact — if not more considering his abilities on special teams.
Multi-Sport Star in High School
To be a standout punt returner and kick returner, you have to be fast and athletic. And boy, is Perich both of those characteristics.
While growing up, Perich was involved in various sports, from gymnastics to track and field and football. He eventually began to excel at track and field, becoming the Minnesota Track Class A long jump state champion in 2022.
But in the end, his dream was to be a football star — and that’s exactly what he’s turned out to be.
Runs in the Family
Though Perich was involved in different sports growing up, his love for the game of football was likely cultivated by his family.
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His father, George Perich, played football for Valley City State University in North Dakota before giving way to Koi’s older brother, Mason Perich, who currently plays football for Minnesota State.
Playing football at the collegiate level wasn’t just random for Perich; it was the expectation and the standard set before him.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Five things to know about Oregon Ducks’ newest S Koi Perich
