We May Have Found Harrison Smith’s Successor
Adam Thielen lived the dream of many kids around the country when he played for his childhood team and turned into a star for them, hunting the records of his idols. He was axed in the 2023 offseason and has been with the Carolina Panthers ever since.
We May Have Found Harrison Smith’s Successor
The current hometown hero is certainly C.J. Ham, a Duluth native, who has been the club’s fullback for nearly a decade. His tenure is nearing an end, though, as he is on the wrong side of 30, in the final year of his contract, and playing on an offense that doesn’t feature a fullback as much as some previous versions.
But the next generation of Minnesotans is already waiting in the wings. Minnesota Golden Gophers safety Koi Perich revealed his dream. Entering year two of his Gophers chapter, the sophomore wants to stay in the state once his NFL career can get underway in the 2027 draft, after spending three campaigns in college.
He told KSTP this week, “My dream was to play for the Vikings. I would just skip through college if I could and just gone straight to the Vikings, but … you gotta do your three years.”
Perich recorded 46 tackles in his debut season and added three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and five interceptions. His 88.9 PFF grade ranked him in the top ten of safeties in the country. The defender also starred on special teams, working overtime as the team’s punt and kick returner and this year, he might even get some work on offense.
About the offensive wrinkle, the Elko native said, “I always wanted to do it. Coming out of high school, in recruitment, I wanted to do it too. I talked with Coach Fleck about it, in recruitment, and it just came to be this year. I think Travis (Hunter) is a very good football player. He can go at it on both sides, his conditioning is insane.”
Drafting a safety is on Minnesota’s agenda before too long, as Harrison Smith is once again entering a farewell-tour season and Cam Bynum just left for Indianapolis. Josh Metellus is viewed as a foundational piece, but he’s still in the final year of his deal and his future with the franchise is uncertain until that’s resolved.
The Vikings want long-time backup Theo Jackson to step into Bynum’s role, but they still need more than one unproven player at safety.
Dylan Callaghan-Croley of GophersNation wrote a couple of weeks ago: “In the process, Perich earned Second-Team All-American status from Sporting News. He also earned a 2024 Freshman All-American selection by the Football Writers Association of America. On top of that, he was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection at safety. An impressive feat considering his inexperience entering the season, plus the overall depth at the position within the conference.”
The young defender has been a star for the Gophers and he could, in theory, be the new staple in Minnesota’s safety room for years to come at the next level, too, starting in 2027, when he’s eligible for the NFL draft.
Until then, the 19-year-old might be everyone’s very early draft crush.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.