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P.J. Fleck, Gophers host fall practice open to fans [RAW]
The Gophers football team practiced in front of fans Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium. Koi Perich had the highlight of the night with a 70-yard catch during a 7-on-7 drill. Gophers coach P.J. Fleck spoke with reporters after the session.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team opens its regular season on Aug. 28, and there’s already plenty of hype around sophomore Koi Perich.
The Gophers hosted their only fall practice open the public Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium, where P.J. Fleck does his best to simulate game-like situations for players under the lights in front of fans. Gophers’ fans had to be excited by at least one big play from Perich.
Koi Perich’s catch
The big play:
During a 7-on-7 situation, Perich was lined up as a receiver and put a move on John Nestor. He ran a deep post, and Drake Lindsey found him in stride for about a 70-yard gain.
The Gophers' football social media team posted the play with the quote, "Not just a gadget."
Gophers’ fans should get ready to see more of that this season. Perich was sprinkled in on offense towards the end of last season. It’s safe to say Fleck will try to get him five to 10 offensive snaps per game this year.
"He just pulled me aside and goes ‘Why didn’t I play very much?' That's how he's handling it. If he had it his way, he would never come off this field," Fleck said after practice. "There's nobody more committed than that kid, nobody more competitive than that kid, and dedicated than that kid. That's how competitive he is. I thought he got plenty of reps, and saw what we needed to see."
Travis Hunter 2.0?
Why you should care:
Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy last year as a dual threat at defensive back and receiver. Could Perich be that guy for the Gophers?
It will take time, but Perich has gotten plenty of preseason hype. He was on the Big Ten Preseason Honors List, which only 16 players get selected to. He’s on the watch list for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, the Jim Thorpe Award and the Paul Hornung Award. On Monday, Perich was named to the watch list for the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year.
Perich was a First-Team All-Big Ten pick and Second-Team All-America selection as a freshman after getting five interceptions. He was also one of four Gophers to represent the team this year at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas.
Jake Butt offers thoughts on Gophers
Dig deeper:
Jake Butt was a tight end at Michigan who is now an analyst for Big Ten Network, and was at Saturday’s night practice. He was not only impressed by Perich, but also redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey.
Butt said the next step for the Gophers, if they can take it, is to be in the College Football Playoff conversation, similar to what Indiana did last year.
Former Gophers’ quarterback Tanner Morgan called Lindsey the most talented quarterback Fleck has had to coach. Morgan led the Gophers to an 11-2 season in 2019 and top-10 national ranking.
What's next:
The Gophers open the 2025 regular season under the lights on Thursday, Aug. 28, against Buffalo at Huntington Bank Stadium.