One of the top wide receivers in the transfer portal is visiting the Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes are in the mix for two brothers in the transfer portal that includes one of the top wide receivers available and a player at a position of need.
Sophomore wide receiver Zachariah Branch and redshirt sophomore safety Zion Branch are at Miami for an official visit, as reported Wednesday night by ESPN. Both have two seasons of eligibility remaining after starting their careers at USC.
Zachariah Branch is listed as the No. 4 overall player in the portal and the No. 2 wide receiver by 247Sports. He has caught 78 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns. He was also a noted return specialist during his freshman season, returning both a kickoff and a punt return for a touchdown.
The Hurricanes enter the 2025 season after losing their top four wide receivers from last season, with Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George exhausting their collegiate eligibility, Sam Brown entering the NFL Draft and Isaiah Horton leaving via the transfer portal.
Miami’s top returning wide receiver in terms of production: Freshman Josisha Trader, who caught six passes for 91 yards — with three of those catches and 61 of those yards coming in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Zion Branch has played in 19 career games for USC, recording 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, one second, three defended passes and a forced fumble.
The Hurricanes need to replace both starting safeties from 2024 with Mishael Powell out of eligibility and heading to the NFL and Jaden Harris entering the transfer portal.
The Branch brothers have already visited Georgia and Arizona State.
Miami so far has already received commitments from seven players via the transfer portal: Cornerbacks Emmanuel Karnley and Charles Brantley, defensive lineman David Blay, wide receiver CJ Daniels, safety Zechariah Poyser, kicker Carter Davis and long snapper Adam Booker.
Meanwhile, another UM reserve player is entering the transfer portal in defensive back Isaiah Thomas. A three-star safety prospect out of Clearwater Academy International, Thomas redshirted as a true freshman at Miami.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 9:53 AM.
.JPG)