Tennessee Volunteers Going 'All-In' For USC Trojans Transfer Zachariah Branch

The Tennessee Volunteers are reportedly going "all-in" for former USC Trojans All-American receiver Zachariah Branch. The former five-star recruit entered the portal with his older brother, Zion. They have taken visits to Georgia and Arizona State.

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) runs against the LSU Tigers during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Former USC Trojans receiver Zachariah Branch is one of the top remaining players in the transfer portal. The former five-star recruit is the No. 4 overall player in the 247Sports Transfer Portal Rankings. His older brother, safety Zion Branch is also in the portal, and they both will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

The Branch brothers have taken official visits to Georgia and Arizona State, but Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas have emerged as potential suitors. The Volunteers are going “all-in” for the Las Vegas natives, according to Pete Nakos at On3 Sports. 

Tennessee is looking to find some new weapons for quarterback Nico Iamaleava with freshman receiver Mike Matthews, a former five-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle potentially entering the portal and Squirrel White in the portal. The Volunteers went 10-2 in the regular season and earned a berth in the College Football Playoff, where they fell to Ohio State in the first-round. 

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) runs against the LSU Tigers during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“The original sense on my end was that this is a two-team race essentially between Georgia and Arizona State, which has become clear during the course of the past few days is that there are other schools that could end up being considerations as well, including North Carolina with Bill Belichick, Texas, Tennessee, some schools along those lines,” said Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports/247Sports. “And it does seem like there’s an openness on the part of the Branch brothers to potentially take more visits before making a final decision and that this is not just necessarily a Georgia, Arizona State competition at this point.”

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Zachariah was the No. 1 receiver and the No. 4 receiver in the 2023 recruiting cycle coming out of powerhouse Bishop Gorman (NV), per the On3 Industry Rankings. He caught 31 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns in 2023, but he was most effective as a returner. Branch became the first true freshman in program history to be named a First Team All-American. He caught 47 passes for 503 yards and one touchdown this past season. Branch has an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.2 million. 

Zion was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting cycle. He was the No. 7 safety and No. 61 overall prospect. The older Branch had two season-ending injuries to begin his collegiate career, but was healthy in 2024, registering 19 tackles, one sack and three pass breakups. He served primarily as the teams fourth safety. 

The brothers signed with Jordan Brand in August, becoming the first college players to join the country. 

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