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Mark Schlabach
NEW ORLEANS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart wouldn’t give his son, Andrew, credit for discovering receiver Zachariah Branch.
But Smart did acknowledge the then-12-year-old made sure Branch was on the Bulldogs’ radar once the former USC receiver and his brother, Zion, entered the transfer portal in December 2024.
«He made me aware of him,» Smart said. «He definitely didn’t discover him, but he made me aware. He would bring the video to me and be like: ‘Look at this guy, Dad. Look at this guy’s punt return. Are we going to get this guy?'»
Zachariah Branch was Georgia’s top priority in the transfer portal following the 2024 season, and he’s a big reason why the No. 3 Bulldogs find themselves in the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in the past five years.
Heading into Thursday’s CFP quarterfinal against No. 6 Ole Miss in the Allstate Sugar Bowl (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), Branch leads the SEC with 73 catches to go with 744 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
«Probably the thing that impressed me the most is his love for the game,» Smart said. «I wouldn’t say that I didn’t think he had it, but some guys that are so highly touted, they don’t really buy into the culture and the work ethic that we have. He’s never flinched.»
Once Georgia’s coaches got to know the Branch brothers’ parents, Shéva and Renee, they began to understand why Zachariah and Zion, a safety, are wired the way they are.
«I love their parents,» Georgia receivers coach James Coley said. «They’re old school. If you don’t do it right, it’s push-ups and do it again. They’re built the right way. What goes on back home, it’s not typical. It’s not, ‘Why won’t they give you a shot?’ It’s more like, ‘Why aren’t you doing better?'»
Arizona State and Miami. They were also heavily recruited by Alabama and Tennessee.
While other programs tried to caution Zachariah about incoming Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton’s throwing ability, Branch saw something else while watching Stockton play in the second half of the Bulldogs’ 22-19 victory against Texas in the 2024 SEC championship game.
In overtime, Texas safety Andrew Mukuba hit Stockton so hard near the goal line that his helmet popped off. Stockton jumped right up.
«Just seeing that and how he carries himself as a leader, to be able to step in in such a crucial moment of that game versus Texas, and then take over and win the game was something that I was like, ‘OK, this guy’s a true competitor and a true winner,'» Zachariah said.
After the Branch brothers signed with Georgia, Zachariah made a big first impression on Stockton, too.
«We’re throwing routes or whatever,» Stockton said. «I remember seeing him after he caught the ball and making a juke move. I’m like, ‘Holy cow, how is anybody gonna tackle this guy?'»
Smart said what impressed him most was Zachariah’s eagerness to learn.
«He wouldn’t leave the building,» Smart said. «He was there every day. He’s like, ‘I don’t want to go to my apartment. I don’t want to go home. I want to be up here. Is there anything I can watch? What can I learn? Can we work out again? Can we throw?’ The guy has just been a football junkie.
«You have a perception of what you might get. I told him, ‘I had no idea that you would love football, work as hard as you do, practice as hard as you do.’ And I appreciate that about him.»
Zachariah needs only four catches to break the Bulldogs’ single-season record of 76, set by Brice Hunter in 1993. He averages 8.1 yards after catch per reception.
«There’s some in games where he’s made people miss in small spaces, but it happens all the time in practice,» Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. «Nobody ever really gets a clean shot on the guy.»
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding described Branch as an extension of Georgia’s running game.
«A lot of the smokes and the bubbles and the screen game and all that,» Golding said. «[He’s] really elusive in space. [They] still use him in the priority pass, working the one-on-one concepts. They’re trying to get that on a safety or a ‘backer, depending on the coverage you’re in. [They] move him around a lot to create it, and that’s something we’ve got to be aware of. He’s a special player.»
Zion has become a regular contributor in the Georgia secondary with 22 tackles and one pass breakup.
«We wanted to play together,» Zachariah said of Zion. «That was definitely something that was important for us. But if it wasn’t the right fit, we weren’t going to force it.»
Whether the Branch brothers are back at Georgia in 2026 remains to be seen. ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. currently projects Zachariah as the No. 22 prospect for the 2026 draft, noting he’ll probably be a slot receiver in the pros and «offensive coordinators will be able to get creative with him, potentially getting him on the move on jet sweeps and keeping defenses guessing.»
Becoming an NFL first-round pick would cement Zachariah’s place as one of the sport’s best and allow him to check off another goal from the wall of his childhood bedroom.
