The Ducks' landing of Koi Perich is the biggest move of their offseason to gain experience in their defense from a guy who is familiar with the Big Ten.
As the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. The Oregon Ducks are experiencing that in their safety room as they transition from 2025 to 2026.
Dillon Thieneman was the best safety in college football last year, and week after week, he made highlight plays for the Ducks. As he exits the program for the NFL, safety Koi Perich enters by way of Minnesota.
Perich has a really cool story, and in this day and age in College Football, he is one of the ones who did it right. He comes from Esko, MN, which is about two hours north of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Perich stayed in state and tried to turn the Golden Gophers program around, but ultimately, was unable to do it. With two years of eligibility remaining, he joins the Oregon Ducks to fill the void that Thieneman leaves.
Perich is a very special talent. He has the skill and ability to be a two-way player. When he has the football in his hands, he is simply a natural playmaker.
In his freshman season in 2024, he returned kicks and punts while playing on the defensive side of the ball. He finished the year with 46 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and five interceptions. He was a ball hawk in every sense of the word.
© Matt Krohn | 2024 Oct 5The Gophers featured him significantly more in 2025 everywhere on the field. He was a legitimate asset on offense while keeping both his special teams and defensive responsibilities.
He finished with seven catches for 89 yards, five rushes, 19 kick returns, 18 punt returns, 82 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one interception that he returned for a touchdown. He was literally everywhere on the field for the Gophers, and now he brings all of that to Eugene.
Perich is a guy who is going to bring a big game to the team that is matched with a massive personality. He has a level of swagger that head coach Dan Lanning is going to unlock to another level next season.
From an on-field standpoint, Perich has some development left to get to in his game. He doesn't lack physicality at all. He is not afraid of contact and is willing to stick his nose in to make a play.
Where he does lack is a little bit of quickness and foot speed. You will never mistake him for being the quickest or the fastest guy on the field, and that is OK. He is still electric with the football in his hands, and on defense, this requires him to think just a step quicker than his opponents.
Perich is going to become a fan favorite for Ducks fans quickly, and the hope is that he picks up right where Thieneman left off.