Lincoln Riley details Zion Branch's unique perspective while hurt last season
Lincoln Riley missed Zion Branch on the field in 2022. The USC safety could’ve made an instant impact on defense as a true freshman.
Branch suffered a lower leg injury in summer workouts that kept him out for the entire season. But now, he’s healthy and better than ever.
That could certainly lead to big plays on the field in the fall. Riley mentioned how Branch’s presence improved everything on defense so far in spring.
“So we were excited obviously last year for the impact he would’ve made for us,” Riley said. “And he’s handled the injury really well. He’s stayed really positive. He stayed really engaged, which is tough to do, especially for a young guy. He’s been able to do everything this spring but the full contact.”
Sometimes, the young bucks take a redshirt year to get acclimated to the college game. It seemed like Branch would break that mold based on the veteran’s impressions of him.
“You always can tell some of the young guys that are going to have a chance to contribute early because the older guys start talking about them right when they get there,” Riley said. “There’s a little bit of a buzz. And he had generated that among some of our older players.”
Branch actually participated in pregame warmups late in the season in 2022, but it was very light and there was never a chance to see the field.
“[It was] like getting a Christmas present and knowing that you can’t use it for a whole year,” Riley said. “He fills out the uniform pretty well and he is such a great kid.”
Branch kept it in perspective.
“Man, y’all can only imagine…Being back on the field, I’m feeling really good right now,” Branch said. “I wanted to be out there with my boys every Saturday. It hurt me a lot that I couldn’t. Getting to suit up every Saturday with my boys and getting to go out there was the main thing, getting that game day experience for me.”
As a member of the Class of 2022, Branch was a four-star recruit out of Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 7 safety in the class and the No. 61 overall prospect in the class.