USC Football: Returning All-American Singled Out for Media Day Praise

Lincoln Riley praised this All-American at Big Ten Media Day.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

With the departures of wide receivers Brenden Rice and Tahj Washington to the NFL Draft, there will be an increase of opportunities to other weapons on USC football this season. One player the Trojans would love to see step up is wide receiver Zachariah Branch.

Branch already had a fantastic freshman year for USC in 2023, especially as a returner. Branch was first-team All-Pac-12 and a first-team All-American as a returner after compiling 774 return yards and two touchdowns in 2023. The Jet Award winner as the top return specialist in the natoin set the tone as a freshman by scoring a return touchdown in his college football debut.

ZACHARIAH BRANCH TOUCHDOWN RETURN

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— Alex 👋 (@Dubs408) August 27, 2023

"Zachariah Branch had an outstanding freshman year for us," USC football head coach Lincoln Riley said at Big Ten Media Day. "He's an incredibly explosive player. Even when you're used to being on the college football field and really talented players are somewhat the norm, he's a little bit different in the way he moves and also his strength. He had a great year for us last year, especially as a returner. Was one of the most dominant returners in the country, if not the most."

Now, Riley and the Trojans are hoping to see Branch have a bigger impact in the team's offense. As a freshman, the 5-foot-11 wideout caught 31 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 10.3 yards per catch. He had explosive moments offensively, including a 25-yard touchdown against San Jose State in which Branch showed his ability to weave through incoming tackles.

As a receiver though, Branch did not see a lot of volume. He never saw more than five catches in a game, and has yet to go for 70 receiving yards in a single game. Those are two areas that will improve if Branch takes the next steps in the offense as the team hopes.

"We've really challenged him this year to become a bigger part and more consistent part of our offense," Riley said. "He had some good moments for us offensively last year, but he wasn't as impactful as he was on special teams. He's growing as a receiver, as a ballcarrier, understanding offenses, understanding route-running, defenses, how we're trying to attack people. There's a maturity and growth process we've really pushed him on and he's handled it well."

Along with Branch, the Trojans hope to see receivers Makai Lemon, Duce Robinson, and Ja'Kobi Lane emerge as important threats in the passing game. Lemon and Lane each saw less than 10 catches a season ago, while Robinson posted 351 receiving yards on just 16 catches. Their production will be key for USC's offense, which was top-five in passing yards per game a season ago.

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