USC WR Zachariah Branch enters NCAA transfer portal with do not contact tag

USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch officially entered the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday night, On3’s Pete Nakos has learned. He entered with a do not contact tag.

Branch and his brother, Zion, both entered the portal Tuesday night – although Zion does not have a do not contact tag. They both announced their plans to transfer from USC on Tuesday, and On3 reported some early schools to watch in their recruitment.

Zachariah Branch was a first team All-American at USC in 2023 and made a strong impact in the return game. He led the country with 22.13 yards per punt return while returning a punt and a kickoff back for a touchdown.

USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch has officially entered the transfer portal with a Do Not Contact tag, @On3sports has learned.https://t.co/zfN1QMFe8J pic.twitter.com/FgSYtjEW5X

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 18, 2024

In 2024, Branch played a key role as a receiver, hauling in 47 receptions for 503 yards and a touchdown. He also took 13 punts back for 74 yards and five kickoffs for 105 yards.

Zachariah and Zion Branch played high school football at Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman. Zachariah was a Five Star Plus+ prospect and the No. 4 overall player from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Zion graduated a year earlier as a four-star prospect and the No. 61-ranked player from the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Zachariah, Zion Branch signed historic NIL deal with Jordan Brand this year

The brothers also notably signed an NIL deal with Jordan Brand this year, becoming the first college football players to join the company. Zachariah Branch has the higher profile of the two, though, and notably signed NIL deals with JLab and Powerade this season.

Branch has an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.2 million, which ranks No. 34 in the college football NIL rankings. That also puts him at No. 68 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”

The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value