Gophers sign Koi Perich, 24 others, halting a long, frustrating losing skid

For coach P.J. Fleck and the Gophers football program, it didn't seem as if the losses would end.

First, the collapse against Illinois. Then, the defensive no-show at Purdue. After that, back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Wisconsin that left Minnesota with a 5-7 record. Throw in a couple of recruiting decommitments, and the grumbling from the fan base was getting loud.

Finally, after 7½ weeks of losing, the Gophers got a big victory, this one on the recruiting trail.

Esko four-star safety Koi Perich, the top recruit in Minnesota and the No. 10-ranked safety nationally, stayed true to his April verbal pledge to the Gophers and signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday, the opening of college football's three-day early signing period.

Perich stuck with the Gophers even though mighty Ohio State was pushing hard for him to flip his commitment. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and safeties Perry Eliano visited Perich in Esko on Friday in a last-ditch effort to sway him.

"It was well-documented about his recruiting battle toward the end," Fleck said of Perich, who's the highest-ranked recruit Fleck has landed since joining Minnesota in 2017. "Some things get blown out of proportion at times, but this was very real. It came down to the last minute with this young man. … He wants to make a massive impact here at the University of Minnesota."

As high school players throughout the country began signing on Wednesday morning, the Gophers announced a 2024 recruiting class that is heavy on filling needs.

Fleck and his staff added 19 scholarship prep athletes and six transfer players to the program with the 2024 class, and he couldn't mask his excitement over the newcomers.

"It's a tremendous day for our program,'' he said. "… We will always celebrate this day, and we'll celebrate it massively.''

As of late Wednesday afternoon, Minnesota's 2024 prep class ranked 38^th nationally and 12^th among the 18 Big Ten teams in the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. The class is poised to deliver a lot of what Fleck needs.

With a passing offense that ranked 126^th among the 133 FBS teams in yards per game (153.2) and a quarterback in Athan Kaliakmanis who couldn't find consistency, Fleck knew he had to make changes under center. When the coach declared that the starting job would be up for grabs in 2024 and that he'd be bringing in others, Kaliakmanis entered the transfer portal, as did third-stringer Drew Viotto.

Fleck turned to New Hampshire graduate transfer Max Brosmer, who'll be the front-runner at QB in 2024. Brosmer leads FCS-level quarterbacks in passing yards per game (313.6) this season, ranks second in TD passes (29) and has completed 64% of his passes.

"This guy wanted to have a place where he could walk in, he could compete, he could find a way to be the No. 1 guy and he could put the program on his back," Fleck said. "… The biggest thing I like about him is his leadership."

Fleck added a potential backup QB in Fresno State transfer Logan Fife, who has started five games, and a possible future starter in Fayetteville (Ark.) High School's Drake Lindsey, who passed for 3,916 yards and 52 TDs while leading his team to the Class 7A state championship this season.

"He is very talented," Fleck said of Lindsey. "How talented? Ninety-one touchdowns and seven picks in the past two years."

Fleck likes to run the ball, and the departures of seniors Bryce Williams and Sean Tyler and redshirt freshman Zach Evans left the Gophers thin at running back. Fleck addressed that with the addition of Ohio University transfer Sieh Bangura, plus incoming freshmen Jaydon Wright of Bishop McNamara in Kankakee, Ill., and Ohifame Ijeboi of William Penn Charter in Philadelphia.

Bangura has rushed for 1,982 yards and 22 TDs in 28 games at Ohio and should provide a strong veteran presence.

"He brings that physicality," Fleck said of Bangura. "He's showed he can be a one-cut downhill threat."

Keeping Perich from leaving for Ohio State enabled the Gophers to say they landed the top-ranked prep recruit in three states: Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Three-star defensive tackle Riley Sunram, from Kindred, N.D., turned aside offers from Nebraska, Miami (Fla.) and Missouri, among others, to pick Minnesota.

Four-star offensive lineman Nathan Roy is the top-ranked recruit in Wisconsin and chose the Gophers over Michigan State, UCLA, Florida and the home-state Badgers, among others.

"I take a lot of pride in that," Fleck said of landing Roy. "For our rivalry, that is huge for us."

No signing, though, was bigger than Perich staying in Minnesota.

"He's one of the most competitive high school players I've ever watched live and one of the best high school players I've ever watched live," Fleck said. " … I can't tell you how much his commitment means to the future of our program."