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Florida Gators a Favorite for Nation's No. 2 Transfer Portal Wide Receiver

The Florida Gators need to find replacements for the departing Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger, and USC transfer Zachariah Branch may be a fit.

Dylan Olive

USC Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch has hit the transfer portal and the Florida Gators could be a fit.
USC Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch has hit the transfer portal and the Florida Gators could be a fit. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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Zachariah Branch, the consensus No. 1 wide receiver and No. 4 player in the 2023 recruiting class, has entered the transfer portal. On3’s Pete Nakos naming the Florida Gators as one of six teams to watch. 

Branch, a true sophomore wideout listed at 5 foot 10 inches and 175 pounds, accounted for 910 total-yards in his first two years for the USC Trojans, catching 78 passes and scoring 4 touchdowns. He also added two special teams touchdowns as a freshman, averaging over 18 yards per return on both punt and kick returns. 

With the ball in his hands, Branch has been one of the most dangerous players in the country. 641 of his career yards have come after the catch, as he averages 8.1 YAC per reception. In 2024, his 390 yards after the catch was the 4th most in the Big Ten, while his 8.3 YAC per reception was 6th in the nation amongst wide receivers with 50 or more targets. 

Out of high school, Branch came down to USC, Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma in his recruitment, before officially committing to the Trojans to join his brother Zion, a freshman DB at the school. Zion has also entered the portal, and it is reported they may be a package-deal. Though the Gators did not offer Zachariah out of high school, they did offer Zion.

With Florida actively recruiting wide receivers in the transfer portal, it is no surprise they are expected to pursue 247Sports’ number two available receiver. Despite no common interest during his high school recruitment, UF has been rumored to be amongst the most aggressive spenders this cycle, while also needing to fill the loss of their top two receiving leaders.

Both Elijhah Badger and Chimere Dike are out of eligibility, 73 catches and 1,476 yards will be graduating this year, leaving the Gators hungry for targets to catch DJ Lagway’s passes. 

Despite the need for experienced pass-catchers, Branch’s fit at UF seems somewhat redundant. In 2024, USC had Branch in the slot 78.7% of the time. In his career, he has seen 38% of his targets behind the line of scrimmage, with over 50% of his 2024 receptions coming off such targets.

His usage as a gadget weapon makes sense, but it is also very comparable to Gator sophomore Eugene Wilson. In his career so far, Wilson has lined up in the slot 42% of the time, has seen 48% of his targets behind the line of scrimmage and 57% of his receptions from such targets. Even more, Wilson has a higher career YAC per reception and more total yards after catch than Branch.

Though having two elite YAC receivers would be exciting, the fit just seems unlikely, especially in an offense led by the previously mentioned DJ Lagway. In his first year, Lagway aired the ball out, ending the season with an average depth of target of 12 yards.

UF’s top two receivers, Badger and Dike, finished with ADOTs of 17 and 14.6. Comparatively, Branch’s career ADOT sits at just 6.5, while Wilson’s is even lower at 3.6. Both excel underneath, a place where Lagway doesn’t often look.

With the questionable fit in the offense, adding to a likely large price-tag, it will be interesting to see how hard the Gators pursue Branch, despite the expected interest.

Though a deep-threat may be a better fit, it is hard to say no to such an electric-young talent at a position of need.

In any case, the Gators will likely continue to look for receiving talent throughout the next couple of days, trying to rebuild a receiving corps that suddenly looks somewhat barren. 

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Dylan Olive
DYLAN OLIVE

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