#1 In-State Recruit Koi Perich to Announce College Decision (Again) Next Week

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Photo: Koi Perich (@koiperich3 - X)

PJ Fleck has had an up and down 2023-24 offseason, early on. His starting QB transferred and has already been replaced. Most importantly, the Minnesota Gophers have been able to bring in more talent from the transfer portal, than what they’ve lost.

But it’s been a particularly difficult week for his Minnesota Gophers defense. Not only did they lose defensive coordinator Joe Rossi to Michigan State, but they’ve had two of their top 2024 commits on that side of the ball decommit, and they’re battling tooth and nail to save a 3rd from doing the same.

Safety – Koi Perich – Esko, MN

But this one, Koi Perich (Esko, MN), is by far the most important. Perich was a top in-state high school recruit as a junior too. But his national hype has gone completely through the roof in the last 12 months, especially since committing to his home state Gophers in the Spring.

Watch a couple minutes of Koi’s highlight reel and you’ll quickly see why he’s become so popular among power 5 college football coaches. After a deep dive on Perich’s junior year HUDL film back in April, I knew it was going to be a difficult task to keep him committed.

Related: Did Drake Just Curse the Minnesota Gophers?

He made some crazy promises and clearly thought he would be a Gopher, at the time. But kids are still kids. These are serious life-changing decisions. When Ohio State comes calling, and you want to be a college football star with NFL aspirations, you’re going to listen. Here’s what I wrote back then.

 It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone look as dominant on a high school football field as [Koi Perich] did during his Junior season. Surely, Michigan, Penn State or Ohio State — teams that all have more NIL money and better odds to win an NCAA championship — will swing through later and offer this kid a six or seven figure deal he cannot refuse.

Here we are, eight months later: Perich was just in Columbus, OH over the weekend, visiting the Ohio State University campus. After most major recruiting services re-rated the 6-1, 200 lb safety, he’s now properly carrying a high-caliber 4-star rating, even becoming a top-100 national high school prospect, according to 247Sports.

Ohio State Buckeyes vs Minnesota Gophers

As I predicted in the spring, OSU made a late senior season run at Perich. And when those helmet schools come calling… and NIL promises start flying… minds change. After his visit, Ohio State is now the odds on favorite to land the former Minnesota commit. He had a visit planned to Florida State and cancelled it.

Related: Gophers Paying Cole Kramer a Rumored $30K in NIL to Stay for Bowl Game

But, Perich told the Star Tribune on Wednesday, “Florida State is canceled. Nothing is a done deal.” Then on Thursday, Koi took to social media and announced he’ll be announcing his college decision (again) and officially signing a National Letter of Intent next week on December 20, which is early National Signing Day for the 2024 class.

Multiple recruiting insiders at 247Sports are giving Ohio State the edge next week, for obvious reasons. But it seems like the Gophers at least have a fighting chance to keep Koi home.

If nothing else, it seems like PJ and his staff have done everything within their power to land Perich. Sometimes, there’s just nothing you can do, especially in the NIL age.

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