Tag: Zachariah Branch

Zachariah Branch is staying busy in a pivotal year at USC

Zachariah Branch has a lot to learn about marrying athleticism with precision in 2024.

USC Trojans wide receiver and return specialist Zachariah Branch is a busy man. As you might have heard, he chose to join the USC track and field team this season.

The freshman from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School was a bonafide superstar in 2023 when healthy. He had 29 receptions for 311 yards and 2 TDs during the season. He also rushed for 70 yards on 8 carries with 1 TD.

Branch is USC’s first-ever true freshman First Team All-American. He was also named to the USA TODAY All-American First Team as a kick returner.

Additionally, he was named a Sports Illustrated Second Team All-American as a kick returner, a CBS Sports Honorable Mention All-American as a wide receiver/punt returner, a College Football News Honorable Mention Freshman All-American as a wide receiver, the College Football Network Freshman Specialist of the Year as a punt returner, and a College Football Network Freshman All-American.

Branch’s big goal for 2024 on the football field: Channel his athleticism and upside into the flow of games and the structure of Lincoln Riley’s offense. If Branch can significantly evolve as a route-runner, USC’s wide receiver group could really take off and approach the standard set by Jordan Addison and others in 2022.

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Offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu makes True Freshman All-American team

Offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu makes True Freshman All-American team from 247Sports.

Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu was named to the True Freshman All-American team by 247Sports.

Laloulu has played in all 13 games this season. At 6-foot-2 and 325 pounds, he became an integral part of the Ducks’ new offensive line in 2023.

He was rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and in the 247Sports composite and ranked as a top-150 player nationally by Rivals (No. 126), a top-300 prospect by ESPN (No. 296) and a top-350 recruit in the 247Sports composite. Laloulu was also the No. 1 player at his position in Hawaii and he came into Eugene as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman, according to 247Sports and in the 247Sports composite as well as the top-ranked guard prospect in the state by ESPN and Rivals.

According to writer Chris Hummer of 247Sports.com:

Laloulu didn’t start a game for the Ducks this season, but he was consistently excellent in his many opportunities to play. Laloulu still managed to play 348 snaps as a swing interior lineman, spending time at right guard, left guard and center. Laloulu allowed a single pressure all season and also was a big part of what was the nation’s No. 3 rushing offense in terms of yards per play. He’ll be readying for a starting gig in 2024 as the Ducks reload at quarterback.

Offensive lineman Spencer Fano of Utah and kick returner Zachariah Branch of USC also made the list from the Pac-12.

Zachariah Branch has a chance to make a big impression in the Holiday Bowl

Zachariah Branch has a lot to prove against Louisville.

Zachariah Branch is just getting started. The freshman star at USC recorded 29 receptions for 311 yards and two touchdowns in the 2023 season. He also rushed for 70 yards on 8 carries with 1 TD.

Branch is also one of the nation’s most electric returners. Against Stanford on Sept. 9, he returned a punt for a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter. He also had a 96-yard kickoff return for a score versus San Jose State on Aug. 26. He is the first Trojan since Adoree’ Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a touchdown, as well as at least one receiving TD, in the same season. Jackson had two punt returns and two kickoff returns for TDs and one touchdown reception in the 2016 season.

Branch finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation in punt returns (20.6), No. 2 in the nation in combined kick returns (751) and punt return TDs (1), and No. 6 in the nation in kickoff return TDs (1).

Branch was named to the USA TODAY All-America First Team as a returner and the PFF All-America First Team as a return specialist. He is USC’s first-ever true freshman First Team All-American.

Next stop: San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. Zachariah Branch can make a statement heading into a very important offseason for him and the Trojans.

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Zachariah Branch named one of College Wire’s top Pac-12 performers of 2023

Let’s see if Branch can branch out and improve even more in 2024.

Zachariah Branch didn’t have a huge 2023 season for USC as a wide receiver, but his impact as a kick returner was unmistakable. Branch was named one of College Wire’s top Pac-12 football performers for 2023 as a special teams player.

College Wire’s Ryan Haley has more:

“The only freshman to finish within the conference’s top 10 in all-purpose yards, Branch made an immediate impact in the return game. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his first-ever collegiate game against San Jose State, and he returned a punt for a touchdown in his first-ever conference game against Stanford. He was the only punt returner in the country to average at least 20 yards a return.”

Branch has a full offseason in which to develop his skills as a receiver. USC will need him to become an elite offensive weapon, not just a special teams demon, in 2024. Branch will need to make life easier for USC’s 2024 quarterback, which won’t be Caleb Williams.

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USC needs an electric game from Zachariah Branch against Oregon

Zachariah Branch needs to give USC more firepower.

The Maxwell Football Club announced several days ago that USC punt returner and wide receiver Zachariah Branch is one of 14 semifinalists for the 2023 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.

Branch is currently No. 1 in the nation in combined kick returns (641). He is No. 2 in the nation in punt returns (20.6), kickoff return TDs (1), and punt return TDs (1).

The Bishop Gorman product also has two touchdown receptions this season. He is the first Trojan since Adoree’ Jackson in 2016 to have a punt return and kickoff return for a TD, as well as at least one receiving TD in the same season.

Branch needs to be a high-impact player for USC against Oregon on Saturday. The Trojans will need big plays and a lot of juice to outscore the Ducks. Oregon should score a pile of points. USC will need to match UO’s firepower, and Branch can be a central weapon for the Trojans.

The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award goes to the outstanding freshman player in college football.

The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award was created in 2018. It is named in honor of Shaun Alexander, a former star at the University of Alabama and the Seattle Seahawks.

Past winners of the award: Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) in 2018, Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis) in 2019, Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) in 2020, Brock Bowers (Georgia) in 2021, and Drake Maye (North Carolina) in 2022.

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Zachariah Branch, despite missing multiple games, is recognized by ESPN

Zachariah Branch makes a big impact nearly every time he touches the ball.

USC freshman phenom Zachariah Branch has been named to the ESPN mid-seaason All-America team.

He has missed time this season, not playing against Colorado or Arizona, but Branch still did enough through USC’s first seven games to land a spot on ESPN’s midseason All-America team on Tuesday. Branch was the top return man on the team for ESPN Chris Low, who wrote the following:

“After missing two games with an injury, Branch returned to the lineup for USC’s 48-20 loss at Notre Dame. In his first four games, the true freshman returned both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns. He’s averaging more than 24 yards a return on both punts and kickoffs. Branch, who also has two receiving touchdowns this season, didn’t score against Notre Dame but did have a 60-yard punt return.”

In five games this season, Branch has 15 receptions for 195 yards and two scores, five carries for 48 yards, 244 punt return yards, and 217 kick return yards. He’s averaging 18.1 yards a touch.

As a junior, he helped Bishop Gorman get to the Nevada 5A state championship game. He collected 1,094 yards on 48 receptions with 14 TDs. He also returned two punts for TDs. Branch was named the 2021 MaxPreps Nevada Player of the Year.

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Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.

USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs against Utah and into November.

Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.

Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.

Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Utah.

Notre Dame-USC: Star USC freshman a gametime decision for tonight

Will he return tonight?

Notre Dame is set to host USC tonight in a game that will go a long way in telling the story of the 2023 season for both.

Could Notre Dame be getting a little luck of the Irish on Saturday night?

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, star freshman kick returner Zachariah Branch is a gametime decision for USC.  Branch has missed the last two games due to an undisclosed injury.

From Thamel’s report:

Sources indicated that Branch has made the trip with the team to Notre Dame for the game and no official decision will be made until after pregame warmups.

Branch has caught 13 passes for 178 yards and is averaging over 22 yards per punt return and 28.5 yards per kickoff return this season.

Notre Dame special teams have taken a significant step back after Brian Mason left for a job with the Indianapolis Colts this off-season.  Clearly any help the Irish can get in the special teams department is something they’ll take tonight.

Who Wins?  Staff Picks for Notre Dame vs. USC

Know your foe USC: Which Trojans can give Notre Dame problems

The Irish will have their hands full this weekend

We are not going to state the obvious here, [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] needs to somewhat contain USC  quarterback[autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag].

It’s a tough task that not many have been able to do, but he’s not the only weapon that the Trojans will bring to South Bend on Saturday evening. As one of the top ranked teams in the country and one of the few remaining unbeaten teams, USC has talent all over the field. Even if it does seem like they have underperformed.

Let’s take a look at some of the other Trojans that could give Notre Dame problems this weekend.

USC statistical leaders through six games

You probably can name one of these guys offhand.

USC nearly lost its perfect season against Arizona but survived. Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff chances ended with a loss at Louisville. Neither team is coming into their annual meeting with the best momentum. That means talent could be the game’s determining factor.

This is a perfect opportunity for the Trojans to make a statement. They’re catching the Irish when they’re fatigued and struggling. The only thing that could slow them down is the wet conditions forecast for the game, but they’re preparing for that by using water in rather interesting ways in practice. While there’s no way to tell if that will affect anything, it shows they’re not leaving anything up to chance.

As you’re about to see, there are several players responsible for the Trojans’ offense being the country’s highest scoring, not the least of whom is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. Here he is among the top Trojans players on both sides of the ball:

Zachariah Branch discusses his goals and aspirations at USC

Zachariah Branch’s goals at USC aren’t limited to the playing field. This is a very impressive young man.

Zachariah Branch is a man with copious quantities of talent and skill. He has every right to dream big on the football field and pursue excellence at the highest level. Not everyone has his package of qualities or his rich storehouse of potential.

What does Branch want to accomplish at USC? He talked to 247Sports:

“I definitely just want to make an impact at the university. We started a foundation that focuses on homelessness in Las Vegas, trying to expand that to California later on and different states, as well. So definitely just trying to give back, make sure that people remember me not only as a great football player but a great person, as well. On the football side of things, definitely want to win the Heisman by the time I leave. Got a chance to play with a Heisman winner this year in the spring, learning from him, watching his demeanor and how he approaches the game, approaches life. So I’m trying to learn a lot of stuff from him and Coach Riley.

“But definitely do want to win the Heisman and Biletnikoff, as well. I feel like in high school, my freshman year, I was kind of overlooked a little bit just because I was like 5-6, 140. I mean, I was pretty small. But I feel like my talent and my work ethic was always up there, but I had to kind of earn my way up the pedestal in high school, and I ended up being the No. 1 receiver in high school, so I kind of want to do that in college, as well, and just try to stay ahead of the game.”

Catch all of Ducks Wire’s Pac-12 team previews for the 2023 season:

Arizona — Arizona State — California — Colorado — Oregon State  — Stanford — UCLA — USC — Utah — Washington — Washington State