The Koi Perich era at Minnesota is over.
From the back-to-back game-ending interceptions against USC and UCLA in 2024 to the disastrous muffed punt against Cal in 2025, the Esko native’s two-year tenure in the Twin Cities had its fair share of ups and downs.
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However you felt about Perich — before or after his departure — only one thing matters now: He’s gone.
So who is stepping up to replace him?
The good news is that safety has been a position of strength under head coach P.J. Fleck, with Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Howden, and Tyler Nubin all playing on Sundays.
And what many people outside of Minnesota don’t seem to understand is that Perich was not the Gophers‘ top safety last year. That would be Kerry Brown, who finished fourth on the team with 56 total tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass break-ups, and two interceptions.
Defensive coordinator and safeties coach Danny Collins covets versatility above all else, so you’ll likely see Brown alternate between free safety, strong safety, and perhaps even some nickel throughout the season.
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Next to Brown, fifth-year senior Aidan Gousby gives the Gophers a veteran option at safety. He flexed his own versatility last year when he started the last two games of the season at cornerback and acquitted himself well. The coaching staff seems content with what they have at cornerback for now, so Gousby has been spent fall camp taking snaps at strong safety and nickel, where he is competing with redshirt junior Garrison Monroe.
The Shakopee native has largely been a special teams contributor during his first three years with the program, and he missed nine games last season due to injury. Monroe was healthy for spring practice and seems well positioned to be a key contributor in the secondary this fall.
Here is what Fleck had to say about Monroe back in April:
“[Garrison Monroe] looks like a completely different player than he looked like in November, and that’s strictly a credit to him, Coach Collins, and his dedication to film study. He’s playing faster and way more confident. He’s making a lot of plays.”
The most talked about safety this fall has undoubtedly been sophomore Zack Harden.
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You might remember Harden for posting “My Turn!!” on Twitter the same day the news broke that Perich had entered the transfer portal. He seems to be backing up that talk with his play in fall camp.
The coaching staff has been high on Harden since he arrived on campus last fall, when they made no attempt to preserve his redshirt, allowing him to see the field in 11 games, primarily on special teams.
He is another versatile option for Collins, taking snaps at free safety, strong safety, and nickel during camp. The physical tools are all there, but of course he lacks meaningful snaps at the collegiate level. Now it’s a question of how soon he can get up to speed and limit the types of mistakes that come from inexperience.
Fleck was singing his praises after an open practice this fall:
“…I’m telling you, Zack Harden [is] one of the more under talked about players on our football team. Relentless, he’s tough. He’s [an] unbelievable teammate. He’s passionate about football, loves football. He’s a great student of the game.”
“…He’s relentless in the way he pursues. He is very very violent in the way he tackles. He can cover. He’s long. So I’m looking forward to special things from him.”
The other names to know are Lehigh transfer Mekhai Smith and Southwest Minnesota State transfer Parker Knutson. I don’t see either of them starting this fall, but I believe both of them give the Gophers much needed depth at the position. Both could see snaps at safety or nickel.
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Redshirt sophomore Zahir Rainer has been sidelined from fall camp with a leg injury and the timetable for his return is unknown, so I wouldn’t expect to see him in uniform any time soon.
But expect to see a lot of Brown, Gousby, Monroe, and Harden when the Gopher defense takes the field.
