The transfer portal continues to reshape college football in real time, and Minnesota is feeling the ripple effects. After wrapping up an 8-5 season capped by a Rate Bowl win over New Mexico, head coach P.J.
Fleck didn’t waste time turning the page to 2026. But just as the Gophers started building momentum, they took a hit - and it was a big one.
Star safety Koi Perich, one half of what had been one of the most dynamic safety tandems in the country alongside Kerry Brown, entered the portal and ultimately landed at Oregon. That’s a tough loss for any program, especially one that prides itself on developing homegrown talent.
But Fleck didn’t panic. Instead, he went digging for another Minnesota gem - and he may have found one in Parker Knutson.
Knutson, a native of Sartell, was a standout at Division II Southwest Minnesota State, where he earned a reputation as one of the most instinctive ballhawks in the country. He led the NSIC with eight interceptions last season - a new school record - and racked up 13 picks over two years with the Mustangs. That kind of production turns heads at any level, and it’s no surprise bigger programs came calling.
What might surprise some, though, is that Knutson chose to come home - and he did it for less. According to reports, Minnesota landed him with a $70,000 NIL deal and a full scholarship. That’s a far cry from the estimated $1 million it would’ve taken to keep Perich in maroon and gold, and it’s less than what other schools, including Iowa State, reportedly offered.
For Fleck and the Gophers, this is a calculated bet. Knutson doesn’t arrive with the same national buzz as Perich, but the tape doesn’t lie - this is a player with serious instincts, range, and a nose for the football. He’s got two years of eligibility left and a real shot to carve out a role in a secondary that’s suddenly in flux.
That said, the path to playing time won’t be handed to him. Redshirt junior Aidan Gousby is still in the mix, and the Gophers have a pair of promising young safeties in Zahir Rainer and Zack Harden. Spring ball is going to be a proving ground, and if Knutson can translate his D-II dominance to the Big Ten level, he’ll be right in the thick of the competition.
This is the kind of move that speaks to Fleck’s approach: find value, build from within, and don’t be afraid to bet on upside. Knutson may not have arrived with a million-dollar NIL tag or a national recruiting profile, but he’s got the tools, the drive, and the local ties that make this a story worth watching.
If he hits, Minnesota might’ve just found its next big-time safety - and at a bargain.