Tennessee is reportedly pushing for top WR transfer Zachariah Branch

It’s been a wild couple of weeks for the wide receiver room in Tennessee. Not only will the Volunteers lose senior starters Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton, but six more have opted to enter the transfer portal. That leaves the Volunteers with just two scholarship players at the position, pending a final decision from former five-star prospect Mike Matthews.

Tennessee will welcome three freshmen receivers in their 2025 class, but that’s hardly enough to fill out a depth chart. There is a clear need to surround quarterback Nico Iamaleava with playmakers as well, after a less-than-stellar showing in 2024 from Kelsey Pope’s receiving corps.

The transfer portal is rocking and rolling and hundreds of top prospects are already off the board. That makes Tennessee’s position that much tougher, but there’s still one big fish out there — USC transfer Zachariah Branch.

According to one report from On3Tennessee goes “all-in” to land a visit for the touted receiver.

Branch of Zacharias and his brother Zion has yet to commit as the dead period nears its end. Sources tell On3 Tennessee is going all-in to land a visit by using a recruiting pitch involving receiver Bru McCoy. Nico Iamaleava’s father is also making a push, sources told On3. The brothers were visiting earlier Arizona State and Georgia.

Zachariah’s brother Zion is a three-star safety transfer, per On3. Zion was a former four-star prospect coming out of high school.

Zachariah caught 47 passes for 503 yards during the 2024 season. The 5-10, 172-pound receiver ranks 28th overall in the On3’s transfer portal rankings. Branch was a five-star prospect in the class of 2023 coming out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. He would have two seasons of eligibility remaining and could fill the shoes of the departing Squirrel White in Tennessee’s offense.

Branch has already visited Arizona State and Georgia.

As things stand right this second, Tennessee’s depth chart at receiver reads as follows – Chris Brazzell and Braylon Staley. The volunteers will likely be heavily involved with several different portal recipients over the next few days and weeks. Although the deadline d. December 28 has passed, those already in the portal can still choose their new schools during this time.

Let’s see if Tennessee can get Branch on campus.