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USC Branch Brothers Sign Historic Jordan Brand NIL Deal

All-American Zachariah and Zion Branch become Jordan Brand’s first NIL football athletes

Michael Ehrlich

Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the San Jose State Spartans during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the San Jose State Spartans during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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As USC prepares for their first football season in the Big Ten Conference, their Branch brother duo has made NIL history ahead of the season. All-American wide receiver/return specialist Zachariah and safety Zion Branch signed partnerships with Nike's Jordan Brand, making them the first college football players to do so.

The Branch brothers join Jordan Brand's football roster that includes Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers, and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles.

ESPN's Pete Thamel was first to report the partnership news on Monday.

The Branch brothers will sport team-issues Nike on-field for USC but can wear Jordan Brand off the field. Oklahoma, Florida, Michigan, UCLA, North Carolina and Howard University are currently sponsored by Jordan Brand, while USC by Nike.

Jordan Brand's Los Angeles NIL ties continue to strengthen, after making UCLA women's basketball star Kiki Rice the brand's first-ever NIL athlete in 2022.

Zion is returning from injury a season ago while Zachariah had a freshman campaign for the USC record books. He was the school's first-ever true freshman First Team All-American, after being named a USA Today First Team All-American as a returner, a PFF First Team All-American as a return specialist and a Sporting News First Team All-American as a punt returner. 

Represented by Excel Sports Management, the Branch brothers have previously partnered with brands such as C4 Energy, Gillette and Honey Stinger, among others. They recently launched their first merchandise collaboration with the NIL Store, a retro 90's t-shirt collection.

No. 23-ranked USC kicks off the 2024 season on Sunday versus no. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on ABC.

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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