Gophers star Koi Perich is shining bright, even if he isn’t impressed

ESKO, MINN. — The early-morning fog gave way to a thunderstorm that quickly traversed northeastern Minnesota, revisited Hwy. 61 and moved into Wisconsin. It would take a couple of hours for the sun to burn through the clouds on the last Saturday in June, making for a humid start to the Esko Elite Football Camp.

The weather didn’t dampen Zion Egge’s enthusiasm. The 8-year-old arrived at the Esko High School stadium with his parents, Drake and Haley, and immediately began running warm-up sprints, eager to get the festivities started. He wore football cleats, wide receiver gloves and — of course — a maroon and gold jersey emblazoned with the No. 3 and an autograph.

Both honored the star of the show.

Esko native Koi Perich, the Gophers safety and return ace who burst onto the national scene last fall and quickly became a fan favorite, was one of three coaches at the camp. Perich, who’ll be a sophomore at Minnesota this fall, was joined by his brother, Mason, a sophomore wide receiver for Minnesota State Mankato; and Cole Engen, a senior defensive end for St. John’s.

The Periches and Engen played together in high school, and they’re in the third year of coaching at the youth camp, which ran for two days and also had a session for players in fourth through eighth grade each day. It’s organized by Engen’s mother, Lorie, and Danielle Perich, mother of Koi and Mason. Some proceeds of the camp go to Esko community education.

“I love this stuff,” Koi said while wearing a desert camo hoodie, matching shorts and designer sunglasses. “We’re just trying to have a good time, help the kids get better and give a little back to the community.”

The coaches put the youngsters through some warm-up drills, then began teaching football fundamentals. One of the first lessons was how to secure the football.

“Hold the football high and tight,” Koi emphasized, showing the pigskin pressed hard against his shoulder. “Why do we do that? So we don’t fumble.”

“Eagle claw!” Mason barked, reiterating a teaching moment on how the hand needs to be on the point of the football.

A visiting reporter swore he could hear P.J. Fleck’s amplified voice shouting, “The ball is the program!”

A bit later, the coaches introduced the young group to another skill: how to make a cut while running. Koi is the star of this drill, and the voice in the visiting reporter’s head said, “Kids, pay close attention here. The guy teaching you these moves is one of the best in the nation.”

By any measure, Koi Perich had a phenomenal first year with the Gophers. It began in December 2023, when he stuck with Minnesota for his collegiate destination despite a late push by Ohio State coach Ryan Day, whose Buckeyes would go on to win the 2025 College Football Playoff championship.

Once on the field, Perich showed he can be a game-changer. His late-game interceptions sealed victories over USC and UCLA. His 60-yard punt return at Michigan helped the Gophers rally and nearly win at the Big House. He had a 13-tackle game in a close loss to Penn State and capped the regular season with eight stops in a dominant win at Wisconsin. His five interceptions led the Big Ten and tied for fourth nationally. Pro Football Focus gave him an 89.9 grade, the best among freshman safeties and sixth among all Power Four players at his position.

First-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-America honors followed, and he’s a regular on the 2025 preseason All-America lists.

“It’s not anything that his dad [George] or I imagined that would go as quickly and as wildly has it has,” Danielle Perich said of the 2024 whirlwind. “… That first game, you have all the feels. We hoped that he would get on the field for the first game, but when he went out on the field for the first play, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I wasn’t ready for that. Here we go!’

“And it’s just fun. When you know your kid’s playing in the Big Ten — I mean, that’s just really cool in itself. And then he’s killing it."

Indeed, Perich was killing it in 2024, but not only for his on-the-field exploits. Minnesota sports fans are quick to embrace a good story that involves an athlete from Minnesota. Perich burst on the scene as a four-star recruit receiving attention from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and USC. And when he said “yes” to Gophers coach P.J. Fleck, well, Perich had Minnesota fans at “hello.”

The signature moment: Perich’s interception of USC quarterback Miller Moss with 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, preserving the Gophers’ 24-17 win at Huntington Bank Stadium. Perich leaped to deny Trojans receiver Duce Robinson the ball in the end zone. After a victory formation kneel-down, fans stormed the field and hoisted Perich on their shoulders.

“That comes from your hometown, your home-state crowd,” said Danielle Perich, who was one of several members of the Esko contingent to storm the field. “He’s really proud to represent Minnesota.”

Koi appreciates the attention that’s followed his standout freshman season, but he’s not dwelling on 2024. Why not?

“I haven’t done anything yet,” he said. “I have a lot more to do. I just have that mindset every day.”

The first camp session finished, and Perich took a few minutes to pose for photos and sign autographs. The second group — fourth- through eighth-graders — took the field, and the coaches were able to be more detailed in their instructions, teaching more advanced techniques to the older players.

Chad Porspakka of Chanhassen was an Esko classmate of George Perich, and he and his eighth-grade son, Brayden, traveled 160 miles to attend the camp.

“What’s happened with Esko, it’s pretty cool to see for a small town,” Chad Porspakka said of the town of about 2,000. “We started coming back for high school games for two or three years. It’s kind of reunited all of us guys through football.”

When Koi Perich choose the Gophers, it showed that Fleck can go toe-to-toe with prominent national programs and keep a highly recruited player in Minnesota. Fleck repeated this in his 2026 recruiting class in June when Jackson County Central tight end Roman Voss, the top-ranked recruit in the state, selected the Gophers over Alabama. In a way, small-town stars like Perich and Voss are reconnecting outstate areas to the state’s Big Ten program.

“We went to two [Gophers] games last year and are hoping to go to a couple of games this year,” said Drake Egge, showing how Perich’s presence is drawing fans to Minneapolis. “We like showing support for Koi.”

The Esko Elite camp fell at a convenient time for Perich, who had nine days off from Gophers duties before reporting back to Dinkytown on July 6. He planned to get in a little golf and spend time with family and friends before the grind of college football called him back. Training camp opens in early August, and the season opener is Aug. 28 against Buffalo at Huntington Bank Stadium.

After such a productive freshman season, Perich is sure to take on a bigger role in the secondary and will be featured in some packages on offense. Good things happen when the ball finds Perich, and Fleck will try to make that happen more often this season.

“I’ve always liked offense since I was a little kid,” Perich said. “Anything I can do to help the team. It’s more running, more learning, a little bit more of everything.”

That consistent, businesslike approach has served Perich well throughout his career, and he’s looking to build on it in a sophomore season filled with promise.

“He hasn’t really changed much,” Mason Perich said.

“He’s got nicer clothes, though,” Engen added with a chuckle.

For Koi, the trip home has started successfully. He’s back in his element.

“I love Esko,” he said. “Any time I can get back up here, I’ve got a smile on my face.”