If the Tennessee football team is looking to make a splash in the transfer portal and instill some fear into the rest of the SEC, this sure would be a way to do it. As things stand, wideout Zachariah Branch is the top rated wide receiver available in the transfer portal.
He's the No. 2 WR in the portal, but with No. 1 Eric Singleton Jr. already Auburn-bound, that means programs are lining up to win the race to sign Branch. As it turns out, Josh Heupel is hoping to make a splash in the youngster's recruitment.
According to On3's Pete Nakos, Tennessee is going 'all in' to bring in Branch for an official visit in January. Five wideouts have left the Vols this offseason to transfer, but adding someone like Branch would be ideal. Will it end up happening?
NEW: Tennessee is going all-in to land a visit from USC transfer WR Zachariah Branch, @PeteNakos_ reports⚡️
— On3 (@On3sports) December 30, 2024
Intel: https://t.co/apFbEGZs9n pic.twitter.com/8ewoATZxk9
Tennessee is going all in to land USC WR transfer Zachariah Branch
Branch just wrapped up his second season with the USC Trojans, posting 47 receptions for 503 yards and a touchdown. Coming out of high school, Branch was ranked five stars and the No. 1 wideout in the country for his class.
He signed with USC over 25 other offers. Now that he's in the portal, plenty of schools are trying to catch his attention, with Tennessee working to get him to Knoxville for an official visit. You've got to imagine Nico Iamaleava is helping with the recruiting efforts here too.
Could you imagine a scenario where not only the Vols can sign Branch, but the program also brings back Mike Matthews, who was also a 5-star prospect out of high school? It'd inject a ton of excitement on offense for this team. First, let's see if UT can get Branch in town for a visit, but if they do, it could make the difference in the program signing him. More updates on the Branch situation should be coming out soon.