Recruiting Rumblings: 2022 S Zion Branch talks USC, targets trim lists

Zion Branch, who projects as a big-time defensive back prospect in the 2022 class out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, has seen his USC recruitment make a seamless transition through the Trojans' staff changes over the last couple months.

Former USC grad assistant Chris Hawkins, who is now the DBs coach at Arizona State, was Branch's lead recruiter for the Trojans, but new cornerbacks coach Donte Williams has taken over and reiterated the program's interest.

Branch hadn't been offered by Williams when he was at Oregon, but like so many other DB prospects on this side of the country they had established the foundation of a relationship nonetheless, so they've picked right up from there.

"It's been real heavy," Branch said of USC's recruiting efforts. "Before, coach Chris Hawkins was really on me, but he went to Arizona State, but now it's been Coach Williams, so I've been having some conversations with him and really the receiver coach Keary Colbert. They came up there to the school, they went to watch my track practice and stuff like that -- building a bond with them."

Branch has 15 offers already prior to his junior season and says Washington and Arizona State (because of the Hawkins connection) are other schools high on his list at this point. He also recently received an offer from Oklahoma and talked to Rivals' analyst Adam Friedman about that moment.