Have the Gophers put too much on Koi Perich's plate? 'It's really hard to do everything'

Koi Perich had one of the best seasons by a true freshman in Minnesota Gophers history last year. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a defensive back with 46 total tackles, five interceptions and more than 500 total return yards. Things have been a different story to begin 2025.

A slow start to his sophomore campaign culminated in a poor performance in Week 3 on the road at Cal. His 49.0 Pro Football Focus (PFF) defensive grade was the lowest of his career, and only the third time he had a grade lower than 60.2.

"All great players go through adversity. This is probably his first piece of adversity in the 15 months he has been here. Adversity strengthens you if you use it properly, and you swallow the pill of adversity, and you take accountability and responsibility for it, and we all do. It's going to make him better," P.J. Fleck said after Saturday night's loss.

Two huge punt return mistakes stick out like a sore thumb, but his defensive production has taken a huge step back. He has a 27.3% missed tackle rate according to PFF, and his 57.7 defensive grade is second-worst on the team by players with more than 100 snaps. He has already allowed seven receptions as the primary defender, compared to 10 he allowed all of last season. His 88.9 defensive grade in 2024 was a team-high by more than 10 points.

Minnesota teased an expanded offensive role for Perich at wide receiver all offseason, but he has played only 14 offensive snaps through three weeks. His 179 total snaps through three weeks on offense, defense and special teams are not even a team-high. Three offensive players match that number, and three others have seen the field more.

"He does so many great things, and he does them so naturally. He has been coached really hard by a lot of different people," Fleck continued. "It's really hard to do everything."

Has Minnesota put too much on Perich's plate? It's a fair question to ask after such a dropoff in play, but it's not like he's playing a huge role offensively. Has his time practicing with the receivers taken away from his development at defensive back? Another fair question to ask, but all great players have off nights, and that could've been what Perich had in Week 3.

"He'll learn a lot from it. I know he'll take accountability for it. This is one of his first major adversities that he has had, but it's coming at some point, that was coming at some point," Fleck reasoned. "Your parents can tell you don't do that, and here's how we're going to do it, and this is your curfew, and this is why we need you home at here... we have four kids of our own, it's not like they follow every single rule. You're a parent for a reason, you're a coach for a reason. If you touch the stove, there's a price to pay."

Perich has had three catches for 55 yards through three weeks as a wide receiver. He has played 35 total special teams snaps, 27 of which have come as a returner. 72.6% of his total snaps this season have come on the defensive side of the football.

It the modern NIL and transfer portal era of college athletics, Minnesota has invested a lot in football. He's still a great football player, but the Gophers need him performing at the level he did last season if if they want to reach their potential in 2025.