Gophers top football recruit Koi Perich delivers three TDs in Esko's season opener

Esko's Koi Perich, the top recruit in Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck's 2024 class, has been so spectacular in his career that scoring three touchdowns in his team's season opener last week seemed like a typical Perich performance to his coach.

Perich had two rushing touchdowns and a 40-yard punt return for a TD in Esko's 63-6 win at Duluth East last Thursday. His second game is Friday vs. Proctor at home.

"It's funny because you kind of just expect that from him," Esko coach Scott Arntson told the Star Tribune this week. "You expect him to do those types of things because we've now seen it for three years. He is who he is. He's a pretty dynamic football player."

The 6-1, 195-pound four-star safety and running back is ranked the No. 1 player in Minnesota's 2024 class by 247Sports.com, ranked just ahead of Rogers defensive end Wyatt Gilmore, who will play for Oklahoma.

Fleck landed seven of the top nine seniors in Minnesota this year. But the Gophers beat out several Big Ten schools for Perich, who also had scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, and Wisconsin.

Last season, Perich recorded 75 tackles, three interceptions and recovered four fumbles for Esko. He also displayed his versatility with nearly 1,200 yards rushing and receiving combined. His 25 total touchdowns included five return TDs on punts and kickoffs.

The future Gopher can make an impact anywhere on the field, but Perich is known for delivering some menacing tackles.

"Defensively, he really doesn't come off the field," Arntson said. "He's very physical and he's very smart. He's bringing everything he has when he comes to hit you. He just explodes into people. Even when it doesn't seem like he's hitting you very hard people tend to go flying."

Despite not being the biggest and strongest player, Perich was ranked fifth in the nation by 247Sports.com on the freak athlete list. Perich, who excels in basketball and track, runs 4.5 seconds in the 40, has a 40-inch vertical and won the Class A long jump title in 2022.

"That was the first time he came out for track," Arntson said. "He played baseball before that. Not a lot of people can do something like that. Last year, he had one of the fastest 100-meter times, but he didn't finish the season after tweaking his hamstring. He has some natural ability, but he's also put in the work."

Perich's brother, Mason, is a redshirt freshman wide receiver at Minnesota State Mankato who caught his first career pass in a win vs. Sioux Falls last Thursday as well.

Here are other top performances from Gophers 2024 class recruits in the first week:

— Fayetteville (Ark.) High quarterback Drake Lindsey threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns in the season opener against Cabot. He followed that up with another four-touchdown game with Fleck and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. in attendance vs. North Little Rock.

— Detroit Lakes linebacker Mason Carrier had 10 tackles and rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns in a win vs. Rocori.

— Bishop McNamara (Ill.) running back Jaydon Wright had 155 all-purpose yards, three touchdowns, 15 tackles and 3.5 sacks against Chicago Leo.