P.J. Fleck teases major offensive role for Koi Perich next season

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated May 28, 2025 3:28 PM ET

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Koi Perich generated plenty of buzz this spring when he debuted the multi-color offense/defense jersey at Gophers practice. P.J. Fleck later confirmed that Minnesota plans to expand his role on offense in 2025, but the question now is what it'll look like and how much offense will he play?

Last year's Heisman trophy winner, Travis Hunter, revolutionized what a two-way player could look like at the college level. Hunter played 753 snaps on offense and 776 snaps on defense. Will Perich be deployed on a level like Hunter, or will it be similar to how Michigan used Jabril Peppers in 2016 when the star safety played 712 defesnive snaps and 53 offensive snaps?

Fleck discussed the Perich situation on Tuesday when he appeared on the Go Gopher Podcast.

"We got a lot of different packages for him, and it's not just a gadget thing. We want him helping our offense this year, and providing even more depth to playmakers on the offensive side, as well as moving him around on defense," Fleck said.

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Last season as a true freshman, Perich played 424 defensive snaps and three on offense. He showed dynamic flashes as a returner with 19.6 yards per kick return and 9.4 yards per punt return. He played all over the field as a prep star at Esko High School in northern Minnesota.

"He is a defensive player at heart. I think the further he goes on in his career, he can truly be a multi-side-of-the-ball player," Fleck explained. "Last year, you saw bits and small, small pieces of that. This is going to be more like medication. Not just a dose here and there, but consistent across the board on both sides of the ball. The more he shows he can handle, the more he'll get. I think him and [offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh] have a really good understanding of what they want to get out of it, and the same thing with [defensive coordinator Danny Collins]."

Throwing more than 700 offensive snaps at a true sophomore seems unrealistic, but Fleck's comments make it seem like there could be a consistent Perich presence when the Gophers have the football in 2025.