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Zachariah Branch shows off transformation after losing 1% of body fat

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•07/30/24•

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USC WR Zachariah Branch
Gary A. Vasquez | USA TODAY Sports

Zachariah Branch looks primed to take a leap as a sophomore this season. The USC star has been putting in work in the weight room, too – losing 1% of body fat.

Branch posted before and after pictures on social media to show his weight loss. The first photo was from January and the second was 11 days ago. In that time, Branch went from 5.8% body fat to 4.8%.

Branch coming off an electric freshman year with the Trojans and is looking the part of someone ready to make more highlight-reel plays. His post comes as USC gets ready for training camp ahead of its first year in the Big Ten.

“Off season grind!” Branch wrote. “Get with the program.”

Branch burst onto the college football season a year ago when he took back a 96-yard kickoff return in his very first game at USC. He made a name for himself as a returner, totaling 442 kickoff return yards, 332 punt return yards and a touchdown with each unit. As a wide receiver, Branch totaled 320 yards and two touchdowns.

As for what could be in store this year, Lincoln Riley spoke highly about how Branch is preparing himself for Year 2. He said the staff pushed the former highly touted recruit to get move involved in the offense. With training camp starting, Riley likes what he sees.

“Zachariah Branch had really an exciting freshman year for us,” Riley said at Big Ten Media Days. “He’s an explosive player. Even when you’re used to being on the college football field and really talented players are somewhat the norm, he’s a little bit different in the way he moves and also his strength.

“He had a great year for us last year, especially as a returner, was one of the most dominant returners in the country, if not the most. We’ve really challenged him this year to become a bigger part and a more consistent part of our offense. I think that is really going to be part of his evolution.”

Branch arrived on campus at USC as a Five Star Plus+ recruit, meaning he was one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. He checked in as the No. 4 overall recruit from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.