Tag: Zachariah Branch

Zachariah Branch has a simple equation for success

Branch is refreshingly honest without being self-aggrandizing. It’s a very impressive combination of traits for the dynamic freshman.

Zachariah Branch knows he is good, but more than that, he knows why he is good. There’s nothing wrong with a little self-confidence and healthy male ego. Problems arise when the ego becomes a culture of self-worship and elevation, instead of being the organic product of development, coaching, learning, and guidance.

Branch was asked if he is suprised about how good he has become in a relatively short time as a football player. He told 247Sports the following:

““That’s a great question. I would say I’m not necessarily surprised on what I’ve been doing, just because I worked so hard to get to this point. I mean, I feel like I worked extremely hard, especially because I’m pretty much a smaller receiver, so compared to a lot of bigger guys, I feel like I have a lot of areas where I can improve to help myself stand out. So I feel like all the work that I’ve put in day in, day out for years, I was just waiting for the opportunity.”

Branch acknowledges he is good, but in a way which elevates the work and the process needed to be good. No shortcuts, no runaway ego. This is a player who truly “gets it.” It’s refreshing to see. If Branch continues to work hard, the sky is the limit in terms of his ceiling at USC.

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

Zachariah Branch is a student of the game at USC

Branch talked about the football players he has studied. He has received quite an education.

Who has helped Zachariah Branch learn how to play football at an elite level? His answer to USC legend Matt Leinart in a recent interview was illuminating.

Branch said, “I definitely would say [I look up to] Reggie (Bush), not only because it’s USC — I always grew up a USC fan — but he does have a lot of play style like me, I would say, as well. Just growing up as a kid, I was kind of doing the same stuff that you see me doing now at a younger age, so when I see him doing it at a high level, I definitely wanted to take some notes from him.

“And then not necessarily players of my comparison, but I watch a lot of Larry Fitzgerald just because he’s so technically sound and he’s been so consistent in the NFL for over 15 years. So I watch a lot of him. I would say DeAndre Hopkins was one of my favorite receivers for awhile, Davante Adams, and then now that there’s a lot of new guys coming in, I definitely do watch Tyreek Hill, try to see how he works, because he’s putting up crazy numbers. A lot of different guys, but those guys definitely stood out to me throughout my career.”

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

Zachariah Branch won’t face Travis Hunter when USC plays Colorado

Fans and NFL scouts won’t see Branch face Hunter head-to-head, which is a letdown, but Branch could go wild in Boulder.

The big showdown we will get when USC plays Colorado is Caleb Williams versus Shedeur Sanders. Two highly-talented quarterbacks will sling the ball around the yard when the Trojans face the Buffaloes.

The one-on-one battle we won’t get on September 30 is Zachariah Branch versus Travis Hunter. Branch as a receiver versus Hunter as a corner was going to excite a lot of fans and NFL scouts. Now we won’t have that battle due to Hunter’s injury, which will keep him out for at least three weeks, as our friends at Buffaloes Wire have reported.

Does Hunter’s injury mean Branch can go wild as a receiver and begin to become a top option among USC’s flankers, or will Branch get a lot of all-purpose yards primarily as a kick returner?

Those are interesting questions. There’s so much to explore with Zachariah Branch and this season at USC.

We talked more about Zachariah Branch with Tim Prangley and Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football:

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

Zachariah Branch emerges as clear X-factor for USC in 2023

Kick return TDs vs good opponents would be huge for USC, but if Branch can evolve as a receiver, that would really change the equation.

USC isn’t playing football on this September Saturday. The Trojans are back at it next week, September 23, against Arizona State.

We talked to Fighting Irish Wire about one key player for the Trojans heading into the teeth of their season:

“Caleb Williams is the best player in the country, but Zachariah Branch is making it impossible to ignore him. The freshman has unreal speed and open-field instincts. He’s a natural. Notre Dame and anyone else who plays USC ths year cannot punt the ball to him, period. Punts have to be fair catchable or out of bounds. If Branch rips off a kick return in a big game, that’s seven fewer points Caleb Williams has to worry about scoring. Branch, if he can evolve as a receiver, could give USC the Jordan Addison-level replacement the Trojans haven’t yet found this season. USC fans are in love with him, but national observers might still be focused on Caleb. Keep an eye on Branch, who (by the way) doesn’t want to be called Zach. It’s Zachariah.”

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

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

Fans can’t wait for duel between Colorado’s Travis Hunter and USC’s Zachariah Branch

For some, Caleb vs. Shedeur is the main event when USC faces Colorado, but for others, it’s Zachariah vs. Travis.

USC versus Colorado on September 30 felt like a nothingburger game one month ago. Then Colorado beat TCU in Week 1 of the 2023 season. Then the Buffs hammered Nebraska in Week 2. The game has taken on completely different dimensions. It has become the NFL scouting game of the young season, a showcase for elite talent and some eye-catching positional battles.

Deion Sanders has done a spectacular job in Boulder with an entirely new roster he threw together in a few months. This story is notable because Colorado seems to have a legitimately good team, but it’s also important because it will revolutionize college football. Coaches will now feel more emboldened to totally remake their rosters with massive transfer portal changes. Several dozen departures and entrances will be more — not less — prevalent in the future.

Part of Deion’s portal transformation comes from his two biggest stars, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Some college football fans can’t wait for the quarterback duel between Shedeur Sanders and Caleb Williams when USC visits Boulder in a few weeks. Others, however, can’t get enough of the battle on the perimeter with Travis Hunter and USC’s Zachariah Branch going at it.

The hype is already off the charts, as you can see below:

Will future opponents kick the ball to Zachariah Branch? They shouldn’t

It was shocking to see Stanford punt the ball to Zachariah Branch this past weekend. Will other teams get the memo? #USC

The value of a great kick returner seems obvious on the surface, but it’s more than just the ability to deliver instant production.

The value of a great kick returner transcends the quick touchdown on a day when the offense needs help. Long kick returns are unexpected bonuses in football games. They don’t happen every day. However, when an elite kick returner comes along and repeatedly scores the way Zachariah Branch of USC does, it’s a game-changer.

Branch has demonstrated multiple times how electric he is in the open field, and how consistently he can make the first man miss. This is a brilliant kick returner, the kind of athlete who should instantly force opposing teams to not kick to him.

It was shocking to see Stanford kick to Branch on Saturday night. The dazzling freshman ran a punt back 75 yards for a touchdown. Are future USC opponents really going to be this stubborn and kick to him? It would be bad football … but USC fans are certainly hoping it happens.

We talked about Branch and a lot more with Mark Rogers and Tim Prangley at The Voice of College Football:

Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.

Notre Dame-USC: Weekly check-in with powerhouse Irish rival

USC: National champion threat or beating up on bums?

Every college football fans knows you can’t tell the history of college football without discussing both Notre Dame and USC.  It just so happens that this year’s Notre Dame-USC game has the potential to be the biggest between the two since at least 2005 and perhaps even longer than that.

Both teams are currently 3-0 and have some tough opponents before the October 14 meeting, but I feel safe in saying both sides of the rivalry are hoping for the other to be unbeaten when the matchup takes place.

We’re again checking in with the Trojans this week as Matt Zemek, the editor of Trojans Wire, was kind enough to update us on the 3-0 Trojans.

USC’s Zachariah Branch named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week

There goes that man! #USC has a speed merchant who knows how to get past the first wave of defenders on kick returns.

USC freshman wide receiver  Zachariah Branch was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in USC’s 56-10 victory over Stanford.

Branch was electric in USC’s Week 2 win. His performance was highlighted by an electric 75-yard punt return to extend USC’s lead over the Cardinal to 35-0 early in the second quarter. Branch has returned multiple kicks for touchdowns in his first three games as a Trojan.

Branch also caught 4 passes for 30 yards against Stanford.

Pac-12 Network color commentator Yogi Roth compared Branch’s outstanding talent to USC legend Reggie Bush.

“I mean, look, it’s going to sound like big praise, but we haven’t seen a guy do something like that on special teams since No. 5 was here,” Roth said. “And everyone listening knows who No. 5 was. Zachariah Branch has a big career to see what he can do. But that speed, that vision, that confidence that young, that’s what Reggie was doing as a true freshman.”

Check out our Pac-12 football predictions roundtable for the 2023 season.

Zachariah Branch electrifies another USC game with dazzling skill and elite speed

Caleb Williams is elite, but Branch is electric. Tyreek Hill, in town for Dolphins-Chargers, offered Branch advice after the game.

Another game, another Zachariah Branch kick return. While Branch will hopefully evolve quickly enough as a receiver that USC will be able to stretch opposing defenses, the Trojans are still getting great value from the freshman because of what he does on kick returns.

If USC can get kick-return touchdowns from Branch on a regular basis, it will increase its margin for error in the biggest games of its season, which are coming up in a month against Notre Dame and Utah. Anything which relieves the burden on Caleb Williams to do everything for this team is a big plus.

Branch was at it again against Stanford, racing to the end zone on a kick return and making it look very easy.

Notably, Miami Dolphin wide receiver Tyreek Hill — in town for the NFL opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday — attended this USC-Stanford game. He briefly talked to Branch afterward.

You can’t get enough Zachariah Branch highlight videos and appreciation tweets. Here they are from the Stanford game, including the simple piece of advice Tyreek Hill gave to Branch:

USC tsunami: Caleb Williams scores avalanche of points in awesome first-half display

#USC scored 21 in the first quarter and 49 in the first half. Caleb Williams went off. This was ‘God mode’ football. #FireworksShow

The USC Trojans looked the part of a heavyweight team on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

In the first half, they completely dominated and rag-dolled the Stanford Cardinal, throwing their opponent around every inch of the Coliseum with terrifying, swift, merciless force.

USC played hard, fast and tough. The Trojans’ speed and skill established a very big lead which kept growing every few minutes. It was a sight to behold. USC was able to play a lot of backups in the second half as a consequence of the first-half barrage. Had USC kept its starters in for the duration, it could have scored over 80 points against a Pac-12 (Power Five) opponent.

Bigger tests will come later. This was a night of fun. It was a time to simply sit back and enjoy the magic of Caleb Williams, Zachariah Branch, Tahj Washington, and the rest of the Trojans, who played a genuinely complete half and looked like a top-10 team.

Here are the highlights, the nuggets of analysis, and the reactions: