Dan Lanning Offers Praise for Transfer Safety Koi Perich Ahead of Season

At Big Ten Media Days, Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning offered high praise for one of the best transfer portal additions this offseason.

Jul 23, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Minnesota safety Koi Perich speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning has always been known for getting the best out of his players, especially on a personal level. His elite track record of developing players into future talents is one of the many reasons he’s regarded as one of the best coaches in college football. 

At Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on Wednesday, Lanning provided many compliments on some of the top players on the Ducks' roster heading into the 2026 season. Among those players who received high praise was a star defender and someone whom Lanning has gotten to know on a personal level: Minnesota Golden Gophers transfer safety Koi Perich. 

Jul 29, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Oregon Football head coach Dan Lanning speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Considered one of the top defenders from the transfer portal, the Ducks look to have the same success with Perich that they had with former Purdue Boilermakers star Dillon Thienemen, who in his one season with the Ducks developed into a first-round pick with his selection at No. 25 overall by the Chicago Bears. 

The potential is high for Perich, as he looks to be a critical part of the Ducks' defense and the team’s pursuit of their first national championship in program history. Here’s what Lanning had to say about Perich in his interview on Big Ten Network during media days. 

What Dan Lanning Said About Koi Perich

Jul 29, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Oregon Football head coach Dan Lanning speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The guy’s a junkie. Outside the NFL, I think I found that his one other hobby is golf. He likes to play golf, which has kind of become a trend for our football team, but when he came for his visit, checking us out, we were in an apartment or a dorm, and I look over at Koi, and I can tell he has zero interest in the apartment. I’m like, ‘You want to go watch some football?’ Yeah, let’s go watch some football. So we sat down and watched two hours of film, and I get it; I figured out how you tick and am really excited about this season he can have.”

What Koi Perich Brings to Ducks Defense

Oct 25, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) returns a kickoff during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perich arrives in Eugene following two seasons with the Golden Gophers, where he was the focal point of coach P.J. Fleck’s Minnesota defense. In those two seasons, Perich totaled 128 tackles, six interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one sack. 

As a commit out of the transfer portal, Perich was ranked as the No. 15 overall player and No. 1 safety, per 247Sports. Perich is a 6-1, 200-pound safety out of Esko, Minnesota, and is known for being a versatile defender; he can excel in a variety of defensive packages and thrives at creating turnovers. 

When it comes to recording turnovers, Perich looks to step up in this category in some of the Ducks' biggest regular-season games, which include road matchups against the USC Trojans (Sept. 26) and the Ohio State Buckeyes (Nov. 7). 

Expected to make it, Perich looks to do the same for the Ducks in the CFP, as the performance of Oregon’s defense could be among the biggest factors in the team bringing the national championship to Eugene for the first time.  

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