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Two Gophers make list of top 100 returning players in college football

Koi Perich and Darius Taylor give Minnesota star power on both sides of the ball.

Will Ragatz

Oct 26, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) warms up before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Oct 26, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) warms up before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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Two Gophers stars have made a new list of the top 100 returning college football players for the 2025 season. Koi Perich and Darius Taylor made the cut in this obviously-subjective assessment from the folks at College Football Network.

Darius Taylor: No. 66

Darius Taylor
Nov 29, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

"When healthy, Darius Taylor is one of the top running backs in college football. He missed half of what should have been a 1,000+ yard freshman campaign and followed up last year with five 100+ yard outings and was just 14 yards shy of the elusive 1,000 yards. He’s a big-play threat who eats up ground without being the fastest back in the country while being able to lower the shoulder and break tackles to grind out extra yardage after contact. Last year, he demonstrated his receiving ability, too."

Taylor is the tenth-ranked running back on the list. After racking up 2,227 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns in his first 17 real appearances for the Gophers, he could be primed for a huge junior season. He missed seven games to injury as a freshman and then sat out last year's season opener against North Carolina. When healthy, he's exceeded 150 yards eight times, with at least 189 yards in five of those. Taylor is a big-play threat as both a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield.

With good health, a bit more consistency, and solid quarterback play from either Drake Lindsey or Zach Pyron, it's not difficult to envision Taylor going well over 1,500 yards from scrimmage next season. He'll be the clear-cut lead back in a room that also includes transfers A.J. Turner (Marshall) and Cameron Davis (Washington).

Koi Perich: No. 20

Koi Perich
Oct 26, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

"Koi Perich was one of the best defensive playmakers in the Big Ten last fall, and he was just a true freshman. His five interceptions led the conference, and he picked off more passes than he allowed touchdowns. He also forced a fumble and had three tackles for loss while making contributions on special teams. He’s set to play more offensive snaps in 2025, making him a potential Travis Hunter MK. II."

Perich ranks behind only Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Purdue to Oregon transfer Dillon Thieneman among safeties on this list. The star freshman from Elko, MN had an incredible, five-interception debut season despite not playing a full-time role on defense for the first month or so. He'll look to build on that success in year two as the biggest name on the Gophers' defense, which will be led by newly-promoted coordinator Danny Collins.

One of the most intriguing storylines heading into Minnesota's 2025 season will be Perich's potential involvement in certain packages on offense. He's an incredible athlete, so it only makes sense for P.J. Fleck to consider getting him involved on that side of the ball in addition to his duties on defense and in the return phase.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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