Strength of Georgia football program drew Zachariah Branch from USC to UGA

Branch transferred into to Georgia after spending the previous two seasons at USC. Before that, he played his high school football at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas.

Georgia usually hasn’t had a player like Branch. He was the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the 2023 recruiting class. He became an instant impact player at USC, making a difference on special teams and as a wide receiver.

So why would he leave Lincoln Riley’s ever-potent offense for verbal jabs from Kirby Smart and the annual pollen at Georgia?

“You know, first and foremost, I would say the culture that coach Kirby Smart, the coaching staff has established,” Branch said. “I feel like it’s a real brotherhood and, you know, it’s not just words. You know, some people just say, OK, you have to have the bond and the things like that to be a great team, but I really do truly believe that, you know, they built that into this program and they’ve consistently done it year after year.”

Riley and Smart are polar opposites as far as coaches. But Branch was quick to point to his high school time as something that helped him quickly pick up how Georgia does things.

Bishop Gorman has become a college football factory and one that routinely produces high-level talent. At a program like that, much like Georgia, there is a level of accountability that Branch respects and admires.

It helps that Georgia had a big need not just at wide receiver but also at defensive back, where Branch’s brother Zion plays. Like Zachariah, Zion Branch transferred from USC to Georgia this offseason.

“Well, they both love football, and that’s the No. 1 quality you got to have at Georgia,” Smart said of the Branch brothers. “You better love it and be passionate about it. I do believe that. They love football. They’re still adjusting to the speed of practice, tempo of practice, volume of practice. It’s all the things that they wanted to come here for, which is the intensity, the competition, the good-on-good, the grind, let’s call it. And they embrace that.”

Smart has been slow to place too many expectations on both Branch brothers. They’ve had only 10 practices at Georgia to this point.

They were a clear priority though. So much so that fellow Georgia wide receiver Dillon Bell recruited Zachariah very aggressively after he went into the transfer portal.

Bell believes Branch’s speed and ability could greatly help a much-maligned wide receiver group.

“If you want to get developed and you want to go and be the receiver that you want to be, this is the best place to be,” Bell said. “I feel like our offense is a pro-style offense. It doesn’t get too much harder than here as it does in the NFL because we run similar plays as they do. You go against the best defense in college, in my opinion. So I feel like if you want to get better, this is the place to be.”

Branch has the ability to great help Gunner Stockton, Georgia’s likely starting quarterback come this fall.

He got a chance to see Stockton practice in preparation for the Notre Dame game and was impressed with how he looked in the second half of Georgia’s SEC Championship game win over Texas.

How those two develop chemistry will have a significant impact on the ceiling of Georgia’s offense next season.

“You know, when we’re doing conditioning, he’s really trying to win, trying to push himself to be the best version of himself, and that’s what I like to surround myself around,” Branch said. “So, you know, me and Gunner, we clicked off, you know, pretty early, got a chance to get on the same page, ran some routes on our own time just to get that chemistry down. He’s been a real help for me in this offense as well too.”

Branch’s ultimate goal in coming to Georgia is to win. Even as frustrating as Georgia’s 2024 season was for some, it was still more successful than anything Branch had accomplished in his time with the Trojans. USC went 7-6 a year ago.

At Georgia, the goals are much bigger. Branch welcomes those expectations. The are why he transferred to Georgia, leaving the wonderful weather of Los Angeles for a spring in the South.

“They just felt like I was an explosive player and, you know, also a great person off the field who could be a great fit in the locker room, you know, to help encourage certain guys to ultimately reach that goal towards the end of the season,” Branch said. “That was something that they really told me. They felt like me and my brother both were great people as well as players. So I just felt like I wanted to get a chance to be a part of that tradition and that culture at Georgia.”