Tag: Zachariah Branch

USC WR Zachariah Branch enters portal, Georgia expected to be in the mix

Georgia is among the contenders for USC Trojans transfer wide receiver Zachariah Branch

USC Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch has entered the transfer portal after spending two seasons with the Trojans. Branch, who is an explosive playmaker, is a former five-star recruit.

Branch played high school football for Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The elusive receiver is the third-best player and second-best receiver in the transfer portal according to 247Sports.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver was named as a freshman All-American in 2023. Branch will likely be a package deal with his brother, Zion Branch. Safety Zion Branch recorded 19 tackles and three pass deflections during his sophomore season with USC.

Zachariah Branch’s top contenders are expected to be Louisville, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma and Miami. Branch entered the transfer portal with a destination already in mind as he has a do not contact tag on his entry into the portal.

The elite transfer posted 47 receptions for 503 yards and one touchdown as a sophomore with USC in 2024. Branch has immense potential as a Percy Harvin-type player. Branch returned a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown during the 2023 college football season.

 

 

USC is losing former five-star recruits at an alarming rate

We can’t ignore how many highly-touted recruits are leaving USC. It’s not the sign of a healthy program heading in the right direction.

They say that the key to building a successful program is signing lots of blue-chip recruits. That is true at USC football and other places, but it only works if the recruits actually stick around.

Perhaps no program is a bigger example of this right now than USC itself. In his first three recruiting cycles at USC, Lincoln Riley signed six players who were rated as a five-star by at least one of the four major recruiting services (247, On3, Rivals, and ESPN). Of those six, just one is still with the Trojans.

Last offseason, USC saw cornerback Domani Jackson, running back Raleek Brown, and quarterback Malachi Nelson transfer out. This year, the Trojans have lost wide receivers Zachariah Branch and Duce Robinson. (Several of them have also offered some snide comments following their departures.) Only wide receiver Makai Lemon remains with the team.

Now, each individual player had their own reasons for leaving. Some struggled to earn playing time, while others did not play well and left in search of a fresh start elsewhere.

Still, the fact that the Trojans have lost as many former highly-touted recruits as they have is an alarming sign. Clearly, Riley and his staff are struggling to develop and retain the talent that they are signing, which is a major problem.

It would be one thing if USC was continuing to win games despite the departures. But the Trojans are just 14-11 since the start of the 2023 season.

Riley and company will need to get these issues sorted out and start winning soon. Otherwise, they might not be around for much longer.

Michigan football surprisingly makes top group for top WR in transfer portal

WHOA. #GoBlue

Michigan football needs wide receivers more than just about anything when it assesses its transfer portal needs. The Wolverines were already light on talent in the room, and with Tyler Morris entering the portal, they grew even thinner in the postseason.

The Wolverines brought in Indiana wide receiver Donaven McCulley, but they’re looking to add to the class. One option may be someone who was thought to be highly unlikely just a few days ago.

USC has seen something of a mass exodus in recent weeks. From quarterback Miller Moss to running back Quinten Joyner to wide receiver Duce Robinson, some of the Trojans’ top talent is departing Los Angeles. But the most surprising entry came on Tuesday with the announcement that former five-star wide receiver and kick returner Zachariah Branch has entered the transfer portal.

And he told On3’s Pete Nakos that Michigan football, Miami, Oklahoma, Georgia and Louisville are in contention for him at the moment.

With Bryce Underwood on the roster in Ann Arbor, there’s certainly an expectation for a player like Branch that he could have the quarterback play, whether it’s the freshman or a veteran who comes in to start in the early going. That’s not even mentioning Chip Lindsey and his more pass-happy scheme coming to The Big House this year.

That’s some stiff competition, but if Michigan pushes with a name, image and likeness licensing package, perhaps it can lure one of the best players in the country at a position of need to Ann Arbor.

Former Oklahoma Sooners 5-star WR target enters the transfer portal

Former Oklahoma Sooners 5-star wide receiver target enters the transfer portal.

The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] continues to heat up, and the Oklahoma Sooners may have a new wide receiver target to pursue. Former five-star  Zachariah Branch, who committed to USC out of high school, entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, according to Pete Nakos of On3. Branch’s brother Zion also entered the portal.

Branch was considered the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2023 recruiting class out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Sooners were the first to offer Branch in 2020, according to 247Sports. That was under Lincoln Riley, but that’s also the same high school that produced Sooners running backs coach DeMarco Murray.

In his second season in Los Angeles, Branch recorded 47 receptions for 503 yards and a touchdown for a Trojans offense that ranked 52nd in the nation in points per game. He also averaged 21 yards per kick return and 5.7 yards per punt return this season.

As a true freshman, Branch had both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown to go along with 31 receptions for 320 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown and nine carries for 70 yards.

He’s a dynamic playmaker who will be an intriguing portal prospect. He can create big plays after the catch. Among players with at least 34 targets in 2024, Branch led the Big Ten and was tied for eighth nationally in yards after catch per reception.

Who knows if the Sooners will have interest in Branch, but he’d be an impact player that any team in the nation would want to add to their offense and special teams unit.

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USC’s Zion and Zachariah Branch enter transfer portal

USC’s Branch brothers are heading to another team. Roster churn continues for the Trojans.

Another day, another USC loss to the transfer portal. This time, it was a double-whammy. On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that USC’s brother duo of Zion and Zachariah Branch intend to enter the portal. This marks a major blow for the Trojans, as the Branch brothers were two of the team’s most talented young players.

The elder brother Zion was one of the top defensive backs in the 2022 recruiting class, and one of Lincoln Riley’s first big recruiting victories at USC. However, he has struggled with injuries during his time at USC, having missed his entire first season and significant parts of the past two. Still, he is only a redshirt sophomore, and had the potential to be one of USC’s best defensive players if he were able to stay healthy.

The younger brother, Zachariah, arrived as a five-star wide receiver in the class of 2023. He immediately turned heads when he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his first game in Cardinal and Gold. As a freshman, he was named first-team All-American as a return specialist.

This season, following the departures of wide receivers Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice to the NFL, Branch took on a bigger role, in the passing game, catching 47 passes for 503 yards and a touchdown. However, he struggled with drops at times, and his confidence on kick returns by the end of the season was clearly broken.

Still, Branch was USC’s most explosive player on the offensive side of the ball. His departure is a significant one, as he is not a player that will be easy to replace.

With the loss of Branch, three of USC’s top five receivers are in the transfer portal. With Kyle Ford out of eligibility, the Trojans are set to return just two wideouts next season who caught more than 8 passes in 2024.

National columnist says Miller Moss is taking the fall for Lincoln Riley at USC

Miller Moss is not the problem with the USC Trojans’ struggles, rather Lincoln Riley is covering up his own failure.

After starting the season 3-1 and moving up to No. 11 in the AP Poll, the USC Trojans plummeted with losses to Minnesota, Penn State, and Maryland. The Trojans are just 1-3 in their last four games, but the weight of the struggle seems to have fallen on the wrong shoulders.

It was announced earlier this week that quarterback Miller Moss lost the starting job to transfer Jayden Maiava, but Moss and the offense are not entirely the problem. The Trojans have scored 21 or more points in eight of their nine games this season while scoring 28 or more in three of their last four.

This season, Moss has a 64.3% completion rate with 18 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Four players — Woody Marks, Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, and Ja’Kobi Lane — all have 32 or more receptions, while Lane (5) and Lemon (3) are amongst the teams’ top TD targets.

The Trojans rank fifth in points scored this season in the Big Ten behind Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana.

While the offense surely has room to improve, it is clearly still performing at high levels, which begs the question: Is Lincoln Riley just using Miller Moss as a scapegoat to cover up his atrocity of a season?

College football columnist Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire makes a good point when he notes that the quarterback is far from the only reason USC has struggled in 2024. This is not a one-man problem:

Moss didn’t play particularly well in their last game against the Washington Huskies, turning the ball over with three interceptions. Moss doesn’t have terrible numbers by any stretch but this feels like someone having to take the fall. Maiava could provide a spark for this team but even when the quarterback play has been good, this team has found ways to lose.

USC has lost as a team this year, meaning that in the games USC lost, the blame generally couldn’t be placed on any one player or position group. Some position groups have been more disappointing than others, but a little bit of everything has gone wrong in these games. To an extent, the move to Jayden Maiava might be Lincoln Riley’s way of hoping that the other USC players will step up to help their quarterback.

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Photos: USC’s Zachariah Branch does his best Spiderman pose during hurdle against Utah State

Trojans Wire’s Tim Prangley covered the USC-Utah State game from the sidelines on Saturday. Seeing Zachariah Branch do his thing is an electric experience.

USC’s first home game of the season was special with the defense getting a lot of the limelight for a brilliant shut out, but there were athletes on both sides of the ball who shined. We released a a bunch of images I captured from the game against Utah State in a recent Trojans Wire exclusive gallery.  Athletes do special things and with photography that second is frozen in time — sometimes they put on quite a show.  That’s Zachariah Branch, one of those players who — when he gets the ball — creates that special feeling of expectation and possibility in the stadium other athletes don’t get. Fans know something memorable can happen each time Branch gets the ball and doesn’t fair-catch the ball on a kick return.

We know Zachariah Branch is really fast, and we know he is shifty and elusive, but he is also a high leaper in short-distance situations. It’s not just a matter of speed or stride. He can manipulate, twist, elevate, crouch, and otherwise change his body angle at a moment’s notice in traffic to weave through a pile of bodies on his way to the end zone, or at least a first down. Check out some of the Zachariah Branch defying the laws of physics during the game and a series of shots showing off a run that ends with a hurdle… and a few from the LSU game as well:

Zachariah Branch gets his big chance to break out as a USC receiver

Zachariah Branch could be the X-factor for the USC offense.

USC Trojan wide reciever and kick returner Zachariah Branch is hugely talented. You have heard a lot about USC receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane in August preseason camp. Don’t forget about Branch, who is already an elite and proven kick returner but who has a lot of room to grow as a receiver.

Branch was named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List earlier in August. In its 14th year, the Paul Hornung Award is rewarded to the most versatile, high-level performer in college football.

This summer, Branch was also named to the 2024 Athlon Sports Preseason All-American First Team (as a punt returner), Phil Steele Preseason All-American First Team (as a punt returner), Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big Ten First Team (as a kick returner and punt returner), Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten First Team (as a punt returner).

Branch led the nation in punt returns this past season, averaging 20.8 yards per return. He finished No. 3 in combined punt and kickoff return yards, with 774. Branch also returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns.

He also collected 31 catches for 320 yards (10.3 avg.) with a long of 36 yards and scored 2 TDs. Branch also rushed for 70 yards on 9 carries (7.8 avg.). If Branch can “branch out” and become a devastatingly effective receiver who gets open consistently within Lincoln Riley’s scheme, USC’s offense could really take off in 2024.

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Zion and Zachariah Branch sign exclusive Jordan Brand NIL deal

The Branch brothers are making history at USC off the field.

The Jordan Brand has signed USC football brothers Zion and Zachariah Branch to NIL contracts ahead of the 2024 season. This makes them the first college football players to ever sign with the Jordan brand in history.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel was first to report the partnership news on Monday.

Zachariah, a wide receiver, and Zion, a safety, are both entering their sophomore seasons with the Trojans.

Zachariah Branch is a sophomore wide receiver and return specialist. He had 390 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns last season, becoming USC’s first-ever true freshman First Team All-American as a returner.

Zion Branch is a redshirt sophomore safety. He recorded 22 tackles, including for a loss and one forced fumble, in nine games in 2023.

The Branch brothers join Jordan Brand’s football roster that includes Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers, and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Represented by Excel Sports Management, the Branch brothers have previously partnered with brands such as C4 Energy, Gillette and Honey Stinger.

No. 23-ranked USC kicks off the 2024 season on Sunday versus No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on ABC.

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Miller Moss talks about young USC receivers, who are ready to make their mark

Miller Moss has every reason to be excited about his wide receivers.

USC football has produced a lot of great receivers, year after year. The Trojans are one of the best college football programs in the United States in terms of developing elite receivers who make big money in the NFL. Michael Pittman, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Jordan Addison, Nelson Agholor, Marqise Lee, and the list just keeps going on and on. Now Miller Moss — USC’s 2024 starting quarterback — has another promising group of receivers to throw to, the latest Trojans ready to become top-tier wide receivers who will eventually play on Sundays and become a force in the NFL.

From the 3:00-5:00 mark of this video, Miller Moss has a lot more to say about a USC receiver group which — it is important to note — spent a lot of time practicing with Moss last year as part of the “twos,” the backups on the roster. While the starters got game reps with Caleb Williams, the backups were able to spend a lot of time with Moss. Developing continuity last season, on the practice field and then in the Holiday Bowl, could really pay off for USC on the field this fall.

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