In the 2023 recruiting class, one receiver stood out above all the others: USC commit Zachariah Branch. Branch enrolled at USC in March of 2023 and started as a true freshman for the Trojans.
Despite his talent and high expectations, Branch didn’t quite live up to the hype during his first two seasons at USC. After entering the transfer portal at the end of last season, he committed to Georgia. While analysts are split on how he’ll fare with the Bulldogs, On3’s JD PicKell believes the young wide receiver is poised to become a star.
Analyst Says Zachariah Branch Is Poised for Breakout Season in First Year With Georgia
Zachariah Branch was not bad by any means in his first two seasons of college football. In 2023 and 2024, he totaled 823 yards for the USC Trojans.
While Branch’s stats weren’t terrible, they fell short of the high expectations set by analysts, leading many in the college football world to doubt whether the former five-star can still emerge as one of the nation’s top receivers.
However, On3’s JD PicKell is still holding out hope and believes that Branch is still as capable as people thought he was coming out of Bishop Gorman High School.
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“The dude is special with the ball in his hands,” PicKell said. “Five-star coming out of high school, we know he can play, or at least I happen to still believe that he can play.”
Now that Branch is with Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, PicKell explained that he has heard good things about the young receiver from Athens.
“When you listen to people talk about Zach Branch, so far in Athens, as you know, the few months he’s been there,” PicKell said. “The people talk about him consistently doing the right things. ‘Hey, he’s staying after doing the extra work. He’s pushed the wide receiver room to get out there and work like him.'”
Georgia lost its two most productive receivers from 2024, Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett, to the NFL, so Branch will play a big role for the Bulldogs in 2025.
Branch has all the talent in the world, and if he can stay focused, he could become Georgia’s top receiver and potentially one of the best pass catchers in the country.
From what PicKell said, the young wide receiver seems to have some maturity. If he’s locked in and determined during the 2025 season, there’s no telling how good he can be for the Bulldogs next season.
