USC's No. 1 Freshman WR Zachariah Branch Comes Close To Usain Bolt's Top Speed During Ridiculous 26mph Treadmill Sprint

Zachariah Branch might be the fastest freshman in college football. He is going to be a serious problem for opposing defensive backs for the next three years.

Branch, the top-ranked wide receiver in the recruiting class of 2023, was a top-five recruit overall and it’s not hard to see why! At 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, the Las Vegas-native is an instant impact player at the next level.

Although Branch is a burner, that is not all that he does. He has fantastic hand-eye coordination with tremendous body control and could get loose in a phone booth.

Bishop Gorman used him all over the field. Branch lined up in the slot, split out to the sidelines, out of the backfield, and as a kick returner.

He can score from anywhere.

Although Branch can jump out of the gym to challenge much bigger corners for jump balls, and has the ability to muscle his way through double coverage over the middle, speed is his calling card. There is fast, and then there’s crazy fast.

Zachariah Branch is crazy fast.

As a sophomore in high school, Branch ran a wind-legal 10.33-second 100-meter dash. As a sophomore!!

To put that number in perspective, his time from two years ago — at seventeen years old — would have finished 21st out of 25 competitors in same event at the Men’s 2023 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships. His 21.01-second personal best in the 200-meter would have placed the same.

It gets even crazier.

Zachariah Branch hopped on a treadmill late last week and hit the 26mph hour mark. Mecole Hardman and Stefon Diggs have reached 23mph, Brandon Marshall and Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson have both hit 24mph, Ray Rice was running at 22 mph during his attempted NFL comeback, and it was a huge deal when Cardinals rookie Robert Gill hit 25mph.

USC’s newest 19-year-old wide receiver topped those speeds before his first fall camp even got underway.

To further contextualize just how fast that is, Usain Bolt’s record top speed is 27.33mph. That’s Usain Bolt.

Branch is just 1.33 mph off of one of the greatest sprinters as a freshman in college. Barely.

Although Mario Williams and Brenden Rice are slated for the majority of targets from Caleb Williams, with Jordan Addison off to the Vikings, there is room for Branch to step into the offense on Day 1. His elite speed is going to be a serious threat for one of the best offenses in the country from a year ago.

Having Branch line up next to Duce Robinson over the middle is going to cause some matchup nightmares over the middle. They're both freshman.

Zachariah Branch chose the Trojans over Ohio State, Alabama and Oklahoma. Lincoln Riley and the folks in Los Angeles are going to be thrilled to have him!