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.