Despite a big push from Ohio State, one of the top high school football players in the country is headed to the University of Minnesota.
Head Coach P.J. Fleck says they couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Esko's Koi Perich to the team and spoke very highly of him.
"You talk about one of the most competitive high school players I've ever watched live," says Fleck. "One of the best high school players I've ever watched live, who loves the game of football."
Fleck says he's been talking with Perich since he was a sophomore in high school.
"He kept hearing the same thing, over and over and over," Fleck says. "Every time he got back on the phone he was like, 'what else you got?' Nothing. The exact same thing I told you two years ago. And the consistency of that I think rang true. He wants to make a massive impact here in the State of Minnesota, at the University of Minnesota."
Perich is the number three high school safety in the country, and is ranked as a four-star recruit making him a crown jewel for Fleck. He signed his national letter-of-intent Wednesday. He received a late push to sign with powerhouse Ohio State but stayed with the Gophers instead.
Signing Day in college football, typically the day where teams ink most of their incoming recruits, is not the same as it used to be thanks to NIL (name-image-likeness) dollars and the wide-open transfer portal changes in the sport. Players seem to come and go as fast as they sign, something Fleck says continues to cost more and more money.
"I've heard numbers this week, whether real or not, that just make your jaw drop, that are pretty much most of our entire NIL," Fleck told the Star Tribune.
The Gophers entered Wednesday morning with the 36th-ranked high school class nationally and the 11th-ranked class among the 18 Big Ten teams, according to 247Sports. They had two four-star recruits and 17 three-stars among their 19 total recruits. They also added five transfers and one junior college player.
Those include quarterback Max Brosmer, a three-year starter at FCS-level New Hampshire who put up some really big numbers at that level and was widely recruited by bigger schools. They also added Logan Fife who started some at Fresno State as a transfer.
The Gophers are looking for a new starting quarterback after sophomore Athan Kaliakmanis announced he was entering the transfer portal after starting all of this season, and the last few games of 2022.
Nathan Roy, an offensive lineman out of Wisconsin is the Gophers' other four-star recruit. You can see all of their incoming players here.
The Gophers are preparing for the Quick Lane Bowl on December 26 in Detroit where they'll take on Bowling Green.