Top defensive transfer Koi Perich visits Texas Tech, aiming to reignite his elite play and bolster the Red Raiders' secondary. Could he be the missing piece?
The transfer portal is college football's version of speed dating.
Programs are looking for instant chemistry, players are looking for a better vibe, and sometimes both sides convince themselves this is definitely the one. Enter Koi Perich, a former four-star safety and one-time Big Ten terror who may be flirting with the idea of doing his next chapter in scarlet and black.
According to On3, Perich is set to visit Texas Tech Red Raiders on Jan. 7, a long way from his roots in Esko, Minnesota and his past two seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Geography aside, the football logic makes sense. Tech's defense was one of the best units in the country in 2025, and if you're a defensive back trying to rehabilitate your stock, that's a pretty good neighborhood to move into.
Perich's body of work is fascinating because it's equal parts "wow" and "wait, what happened?" As a freshman, he was a turnover machine, picking off five passes - most in the Big Ten - while earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors and All-American recognition.
As a sophomore, the splash plays dipped, but the workload exploded. He posted career highs with 82 tackles, added a pick-six, and continued to terrorize special teams with over 700 all-purpose yards as a returner. He even dabbled on offense, because why not?
Here's the honest part Tech fans should care about ... the advanced numbers took a hit. Coverage grades slid, tackling efficiency dipped, and missed tackles became an issue. That's not ideal, but it's also exactly why a program like Texas Tech is appealing.
The Red Raiders were among the best tackling teams in the country, and defensive coordinator Shiel Wood has a history of maximizing versatile defensive backs who can play high, low, or somewhere in between.
The fit isn't automatic. Tech already has versatility in the secondary, and Perich wouldn't just be handed a role with a bow on it.
But if Wood has a defined plan ... one that cleans up Perich's tackling while letting his ball skills breathe - the upside is real.
For Texas Tech, this is the right kind of portal gamble: proven production, elite athleticism, and something to prove.
For Perich, it's a chance to rediscover the version of himself that made quarterbacks nervous. Sometimes a change of scenery doesn't just help. Sometimes it unlocks the player everyone remembers ... and everyone else forgot.