Zachariah Branch, a wide receiver, and Zion Branch, a safety, are USC transfers and brothers who will play collegiate football together in 2025, but at a separate school.
Today, the Branch brothers declared their intentions to attend Georgia.
On Friday, December 20, they traveled to Athens and also visited Miami and Arizona State. The Branch brothers ultimately decided to commit to the Bulldogs.
Rivals reports that Zion is ranked No. 52 in the cycle, and Zachariah is ranked No. 2 on the transfer portal.
Zachariah is still available as a redshirt if necessary, and both guys have two more years of eligibility left. In 2022, Zion redshirted.
Head coach Kirby Smart, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo, wide receivers coach James Coley, and the rest of the UGA staff will now coach the Branch brothers.
According to Rivals, the Bulldogs were able to acquire the USC transfers thanks in part to their strong bonds with Coley and Georgia player connection coordinator David Hill.
Zion spent three seasons (2022–2024) playing for USC under head coach Lincoln Riley. Zachariah played for the Trojans in 2023 and 2024 and recently completed his actual sophomore season.
Zion appeared in 10 games in 2024. He amassed 19 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and three passes defended. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 217 defensive snaps on the year and recorded an overall grade of 69.2.
In his career with USC, Zion played in 19 games. He recorded 41 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, three passes defended and one forced fumble in three seasons with the Trojans.
Meanwhile, in 12 games with the Trojans in 2024, Zachariah compiled 47 receptions for 503 yards (10.7 yards per catch), and he scored one touchdown. He also had two rushes for 17 yards on the campaign. Per PFF, Zachariah played 490 offensive snaps and recorded an overall grade of 67.2.
Zachariah appeared in 23 games throughout his career with the Trojans. He totaled 78 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 87 yards (7.9 yards per carry) and scored an additional touchdown on the ground, and scored both a kick return and punt return touchdown as well.
Zion was rated as a four-star safety in the class of 2022 out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He ranked as the No. 64 overall prospect that year.
Zachariah also played at Bishop Gorman High School and was ranked as a top-10 player in the country. The five-star wide receiver prospect ranked as the No. 7 overall recruit in the cycle.
To stay up to date on the most recent transfer news, portal entries, commitments, and rankings, stay tuned to the Rivals Transfer Tracker. Make sure to visit the Rivals Transfer Search page for a thorough overview of the transfer portal.
Any college football fan should follow the Rivals Transfer Portal X account.
On December 9, 2024, the 20-day winter college football transfer portal window is set to open. When their head coach departs, players also have a 30-day chance to transfer. After their team’s postseason play is over, players have a five-day opportunity to transfer. On April 16, there will also be a 10-day transfer window.
