Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch explained to the media why he transferred to Georgia after spending the first two seasons of his college football career with the USC Trojans.
"The culture that coach Kirby Smart and the coaching staff has established," said Branch. "I feel like it's a big brotherhood. It's not just words. Some people just say, 'Okay, you have to have the bond and the things like that to be a great team.' But I really do believe that. They've built it into this program year after year."
Georgia's championship culture is a big draw for many elite recruits and transfers. Winning comes first at Georgia. The Bulldogs have made the SEC championship in seven of the last eight seasons and have won a pair of national titles.
"Being surrounded by a lot of like-minded players just trying to get towards the same goal. It's something that is really important to me, as well, and I feel like once I got into that portal, it was pretty easy to make my decision from there," said Branch.
Branch did not have as much team success at USC. The Trojans lost 11 games during his two seasons in Los Angeles. Georgia has lost fewer games (nine) over the past six seasons.
Branch is a former five-star recruit. He and his brother, safety Zion Branch, both transferred to Georgia this offseason. Zachariah Branch recorded 47 receptions for 503 yards and one touchdown with USC last season. He was USC's third-leading receiver. He also posted two carries for 17 rushing yards, 13 punt returns for 74 yards and five kickoff returns for 105 yards.
What Kirby Smart said about Zachariah and Zion Branch
"They (the Branch brothers) both love football, and that's the number one quality you've got to have at Georgia," said Kirby Smart. "You better love it and be passionate about it. I do believe that. They love football. They're still adjusting to speed of practice, tempo of practice, volume of practice."
Smart has been critical of Georgia at times this spring. The Dawgs have a youthful team and are replacing a lot of experienced players that entered the 2025 NFL draft and the NCAA transfer portal.
"It's all the things that they wanted to come here for, which is the intensity, the competition, the good on good, the grind, let's call it, and they embrace that," added Smart. "They're both learning. Again, they're not like freshmen because physically they're way past freshmen. They're both physically developed. They're both really good athletes."
It will be interesting to see how Georgia deploys Zachariah Branch, who was a ...
