Lastly, we get to the position where the Gophers lost a potential All-American to the transfer portal. But this is Safety U and the Gophers have other fantastic options at safety, heading into the 2026 season.
Koi Perich took a massive payday and the opportunity to play for a national title at Oregon. After earning 2nd Team All-American status as a true freshman, Perich had a very good sophomore season, finishing 2nd Team All-Big Ten. He finished third on the team with 82 tackles and had one interception. But the big-play-minded safety made fewer splash plays in his second season and occasionally was the culprit for the defense being gashed. He is undoubtedly a unique talent and losing the Minnesota native is less than ideal for the Gopher defense.
Losing a player of Perich’s stature should indicate that this position is going to be an automatic downgrade; I’m not entirely sure that is the case.
2026 Safety
2025 Starters: Koi Perich, Kerry Brown
2026 Starters: Kerry Brown, Aiden Gousby, Zack Harden
Depth: Garrison Monroe, Mekhai Smith
One could argue that Kerry Brown has quietly been the best safety on the roster over the last couple of years. Perich made the splash plays, while Brown flew under the radar and consistently delivered. He is now entering his third year as a starter and is coming off a sophomore season where he had 56 tackles, two interceptions and was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten.
I wouldn’t worry much about Brown, at either of the safety spots. But who starts next to him?
There are two who we should expect to see on the field. Aiden Gousby is the more experienced and versatile option, while Zack Harden is the name getting all of the buzz throughout the spring and into fall camp.
Harden played in 11 games as a true freshman last year. His action was limited, but this spring and now in August, he has been getting rave reviews, with comparisons to Tyler Nubin. It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of Harden, but he is still a sophomore and needs more experience.
Which is why we expect Gousby to be starting at safety, perhaps sliding to nickel on passing downs. Gousby has been incredibly flexible, willing to move to different backfield positions as needed, and that flexibility may help him tremendously this season. Now a senior, Gousby can play either safety spot, nickel or corner. So he will surely be on the field, filling the right spots so the right guys can be in other positions to succeed.
Garrison Monroe is a redshirt junior from Shakopee, who will be counted on as experienced depth throughout the season. And Mekhai Smith is a junior transfer from Lehigh, who is also going to be in the rotation.
Upgrade or Downgrade?
I am extremely high on this unit. I believe Brown has every chance to be an All-Big Ten performer and leave after this season for the NFL. And if you believe the hype around Harden, there is good reason to believe that there are two future NFL safeties on this roster.
The five names listed above are a good mix of talent and experience. This is a deep unit with the potential to make splash plays.
Last year’s group was very strong on paper, but I’m not sure they lived up to the hype. This year’s unit will be a perceived drop-off, but I think it will be neutral to last year. A solid unit that will make some plays while experiencing some growing pains.
