{
  "id": 2804497,
  "title": "Heisman dark horse? Oregon's Koi Perich among 2026's most intriguing people",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/heisman-dark-horse-oregons-koi-perich-among-2026s-most-intriguing",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-23T14:27:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/heisman-dark-horse-oregons-koi-142705717.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Oregon's Koi Perich has once again been named among the 2026's most intriguing people by The Athletic. The defensive back's potential has been on everyone's radar, as he was a second-team All-Big Ten safety during his time at Minnesota. Perich's 82 tackles and a pick-six solidified his reputation as a strong contender for a Heisman Trophy. The Ducks' transfer portal addition has the potential to become a first-round draft pick, following in the footsteps of fellow Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. Perich's versatility, coverage skills, and tackling ability make him a valuable asset to the Ducks this season, and his ceiling remains to be determined. With Oregon's defense looking strong, Perich could also find himself in a center fielder role on the back end of the secondary.",
  "summary": "After landing at Oregon, Koi Perich is one of the most interesting people in college football for the 2026 season, according to The Athletic.",
  "key_points": [
    "Oregon defensive back Koi Perich named among 2026's most intriguing people",
    "Perich a second-team All-Big Ten safety at Minnesota with 82 tackles",
    "Perich's transfer to Oregon could make him a first-round NFL draft pick"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}