The Georgia Bulldogs, fresh off their win over SEC nemesis Alabama in the Conference Championship Game, await their opponent in the Sugar Bowl on January 1 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. They wouldn’t be in this position without some standout players, including transfer wide receiver Zachariah Branch.
Branch transferred from USC in January and has made an immediate impact on the team. The Las Vegas native ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class by 247 Sports.
In Branch’s sophomore season at USC, the 5-foot-10 pass-catcher hauled in 47 passes for 503 yards and one touchdown. In his one year at Georgia, he’s already out-produced his two years in Los Angeles.
CBS Sports has UGA WR Zachariah Branch at No. 19 in their College Football Playoff transfer rankings. That’s too low.
Chris Hummer from CBS Sports put out his Top 25 transfer players in the 2025 College Football Playoff. He ranked Branch at No. 19.
This is what Hummer had to say about Zachariah Branch:
“Instant offense for the Bulldogs, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Branch is one of the fastest players in college football. Georgia tends to throw it to him short with an average depth of target of just 3.3 yards, and Branch tends to make things happen from there. He averages eight yards after the catch and has 744 yards and five touchdowns total on the season.”
Ranking Branch at No. 19 out of 25 is a gross misunderstanding of his value by Hummer. If third down is the “money down” for quarterbacks, then Branch is one of the most valuable receivers in the nation. There’s a reason why “Third & Branch” is a thing said among the Bulldog faithful. Branch has been targeted 29 times, caught 20 (69%) of those passes for 306 yards, while averaging 15.3 yards per catch on third down. He also has three touchdowns and 17 first downs (a 58.6% conversion rate).
In total, Branch has 73 receptions for 744 yards and five touchdowns this year. That’s the second-most single-season receptions in UGA history, and just three away from tying for No. 1. The last time a Georgia receiver went above 70 receptions in a single season was in 1993, when Brice Hunter recorded 76. That’s the all-time record. Brock Bowers’ 63 receptions in 2022 was ranked No. 2 all-time before Branch’s 2025 season.
Branch has a 27% share of all of Georgia’s catches this season. The other players to ever account for a 20% share or larger are Brock Bowers (2021), Kearis Jackson and George Pickens (2020), Terry Godwin and Javon Wims (2017), and Isaiah McKenzie (2016).
At No. 1, Hummer understandably has Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, who transferred from Cal. He’s expected to win the Heisman. Georgia tried to bring in Mendoza but ultimately lost out to Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers.
At No. 3 is former Alabama safety Caleb Downs, who has deep connections to Georgia. He transferred to Ohio State. UGA almost landed Downs as a recruit.
RELATED: Ohio State’s Caleb Downs wants to play Georgia in the CFP
And then one spot below Branch sits former Georgia QB Carson Beck. Beck is ranked No. 20. He transferred from UGA to Miami this offseason and has the Hurricanes in the CFP.
Branch has been one of the most exciting players for Georgia this season and is a big reason the Bulldogs sit at No. 3 in the College Football Playoff.
