Ex-Gophers star Koi Perich sets first transfer visits with CFP powers

Former Gophers star safety Koi Perich, who entered the transfer portal last week, has reportedly set his first visits with a couple powerhouse programs that are interested in signing him. Perich is visiting Texas Tech on Thursday and is also expected to visit Oregon, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

Former Minnesota star safety Koi Perich, one of the top ranked players in the transfer portal, is set to visit Texas Tech tomorrow and is also expected to visit Oregon, sources tell me and @chris_hummer.

Posted 128 tackles and six interceptions the last two years at Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/VmWMuFjPCR
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 7, 2026

Perich is the No. 1 safety and No. 12 overall player in 247 Sports' rankings of every transfer portal entry this year. He's believed to have a very robust market. In addition to Texas Tech and Oregon, our Gophers reporter Tony Liebert has also heard buzz about Ohio State and Miami having interest in Perich. All four schools made this year's College Football Playoff, and two of those are among the four programs still alive.

Texas Tech fell to Oregon in the quarterfinals, but the Red Raiders look like a major power in the modern era of college football. They've got the financial backing of oil billionaire Cody Campbell, and their NIL budget doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Texas Tech hadn't won double-digit games since 2008, but they won 12 this season behind a star-studded group of transfers, including edge rusher David Bailey.

Already this year, the Red Raiders have landed Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby, who was one of the crown jewels of this portal class. Their fearsome defense will lose Bailey and a few others to the NFL, so Perich would be a big playmaking addition for Joey McGuire's program.

Oregon, which beat Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl last weekend, faces No. 1 seed Indiana in a semifinal on Friday night. The Ducks have been a major power in college football for a long time now, having won double-digit games in each of the last six full-length seasons (2020 excluded) and 13 of the last 17. They've gone 48-7 in four seasons since hiring Dan Lanning as their head coach.

Gophers fans would presumably prefer to see Perich end up with Texas Tech or some other school that isn't in the Big Ten.

Perich hasn't officially ruled out a return to Minnesota, but with interest from national powerhouses like these, it's pretty evident that he won't be back. The Gophers have a decent NIL budget, but not one that can compete with the likes of Texas Tech and Oregon.

A native of Esko, MN, Perich coming to Minnesota was a huge recruiting win for P.J. Fleck in the class of 2024. He had an incredible true freshman season in which he led the Big Ten with five interceptions, but Perich's sophomore season was rather disappointing, even within the context of INT regression being inevitable. His PFF grade dropped from 88.9 to 62.4 and he was charged with a team-high 23 missed tackles.

Meanwhile, the Gophers are putting together an impressive incoming transfer class highlighted (so far) by Auburn WR Perry Thompson, Cal DL TJ Bush Jr., Michigan State CB Aydan West, and Tennessee OT Bennett Warren.

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