The Ohio State football team has to replace several good players from this year's team. After a disappointing loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes aren't going to win back-to-back titles. They will be losing Caleb Downs, who won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best safety.
With Downs, Davison Igbinosun, and Lorenzo Styles all leaving, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a lot of talent leaving in the secondary this offseason. That means that the Buckeyes need to use the Transfer Portal to help replenish that area of the defense.
While Downs was clearly the best safety in the conference, Ohio State has been linked to one of the other great safeties in the Big Ten. Koi Perich, the All-Big Ten safety from Minnesota, has been linked to interest in Ohio State after entering the Transfer Portal.
The Ohio State football team has interest in Koi Perich
Perich played two seasons with the Golden Gophers before entering the portal. This past season, he recorded 85 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble, an interception, and a touchdown. Perich has shown the ability to be a good run stopper and pass defender, which is a rare combination.
Adding Perich would be a big win for the Buckeyes. He would be able to step into the role that Downs has held in each of the last couple of seasons. While he doesn't have quite the talent that Downs possesses, he certainly is good enough to make a big impact if he were to come to Columbus.
The Buckeyes aren't the only school that is interested in Perich. However, the Buckeyes recruited Perich a bit coming out of high school, so they hold a distinct advantage. A large amount of NIL funds would certainly help the Buckeyes' chances of landing him.
Grabbing Perich and Chaz Coleman from the portal would be a great start to some defensive additions heading into next season. They still need to find some special teams contributors, though.