Georgia football's Zachariah Branch soaks up CFP ride during impactful season
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NEW ORLEANS – Zachariah Branch’s first two college seasons ended before New Year’s Day.
At USC, the Trojans played in the Holiday Bowl and as a sophomore closed in the Las Vegas Bowl.
This is a different deal.
The Sugar Bowl. A College Football quarterfinal.
Beat No. 6 seed Ole Miss and Branch and No. 3 seed Georgia football team moves on.
“These are moments that you work for as a kid just watching,” the Bulldogs' junior wide receiver said.
It’s something he talked about recently with one of his best friends, Jonathan Brady, who also plays wide receiver but for Indiana, which faces Alabama on Thursday in the Rose Bowl, the game that precedes the Bulldogs and Ole Miss on ESPN.
Branch and Brady were teammates at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.
“During COVID we were working hard, didn’t know if we were going to have a season or not,” Branch said.
And now they will be watched by millions.
“We were like, man, it’s crazy, we used to be watching these games,” Branch said. “‘Ooh, who do you think’s going to win? Now today, we’re in it.”
Branch is not only in it, but he’s a focal point of a resurgent Georgia offense.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Branch has 73 catches for 744 yards and 5 touchdowns. He had 78 catches and 823 yards and 3 touchdowns combined in two seasons at USC.
Branch is just four receptions shy from setting a single-season record for Georgia, topping the 76 of the late Brice Hunter in 1993.
Georgia wide receivers coach James Coley thought Branch was a dynamic player in high school and dove into his USC film when he went in the portal.
“You saw the potential,” he said. “That’s why we had interest. We’re glad we got him.”
Branch took a visit to Georgia during its Sugar Bowl practices on campus a year ago and transferred along with his brother, backup safety Zion Branch, in the winter. They did not play in the Las Vegas Bowl last season after deciding to go in the portal.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton knew fast that Branch could make a big impact.
“Whenever we started doing football stuff when he first got here,” Stockton said. “Just seeing him, throwing routes or whatever. I remember seeing him after he caught the ball and making a juke move. I’m like holy cow, how’s anybody going to tackle this guy?”
Branch is a threat to make a big play every time he touches the ball.
Georgia feeds him the short passing game and Branch's ability to accelerate may be his superpower.
“He’s twitchy,” Coley said. “There’s a lot of fast twitch. He can pick up his feet and put them down at an elite level. Part of that is also using your vision when you do it.”
Branch, the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Cliff Branch, is ranked as the No. 22 prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper.
There are still more games to play this season, starting with a rematch against Ole Miss.
Branch had a team-leading 71 yards on 8 catches in the 43-35 win on Oct. 18.
“He has all the tools as a great receiver,” Ole Miss cornerback Jaylon Braxton said. “He gets out of his breaks quick. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s very special.”
Said Branch: “That definitely is a plus that I have of being able to stop and start. That’s something that God blessed me with. Whenever I get the opportunity to do so, I’m going to try to make the most out of it.”
Branch ran the 100 and 200 for his high school track team and said his start — which showed up in the 10-yard split — was the best part of his race.
“My dad saw it early on,” he said of Sheva Branch. “He’d look at the clock and say, 'Is this right?' I always just knew early on that I had a different spark that God blessed me with and I try to enhance that every single chance I get.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia home run transfer get Zachariah Branch relishes first CFP trip
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