Fact or Fiction: Zachariah Branch could be No. 1 receiver in 2023 class
Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney - along with Sean Williams from PowerMizzou.com, Jason Suchomel of OrangeBloods.com and Ryan Young of TrojanSports.com - tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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MORE FACT OR FICTION: Liam Coen is a massive loss for Kentucky | Richard Young is a top-two RB in the 2023 class | Charlie Strong will make a difference at Miami
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State | JUCO
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info for 2022 series
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1. Zachariah Branch's speed and playmaking ability should put him in the conversation as the No. 1 receiver in the 2023 class.
Gorney’s take: FACT. If this question was posed to me one year ago, I would have said absolutely not. It was not even under consideration. But Branch is now a year older, much more physically developed and just outstanding at the receiver position. At Battle Las Vegas, Branch was so much faster and more dynamic than everybody on the field. There was literally no stopping him. The only way any teams had a prayer was to double team and tackle him to the ground before he could start his route - the video proof is out there.
Some comparisons to Branch being like Tyreek Hill are a stretch, but he’s insanely dynamic, had more than 1,000 receiving yards in his junior season and will be in the conversation as the No. 1 receiver in the class. I love Brandon Inniss, Shelton Sampson and Carnell Tate - the current five-star receivers in this class - but Branch is quickly moving up the charts.
Young’s take: FACT. The first thought I had leaving Battle Las Vegas on Sunday was that it’s hard to imagine there is a better WR prospect in the 2023 class. Branch is Tyreek Hill 2.0 from a skill set standpoint. He could not be covered for two straight days, scoring touchdowns at will with his blazing speed, crisp cuts/route running and elite hands. Not only did he make one-handed catches look routine in warmups, but he made the best catch of the whole tournament on a stretching one-handed snag in the end zone. One opposing team actually resorted to having two defenders try to jam him to the ground before he could get into his route, which drew a flag. Otherwise, Branch was an unsolvable issue to every DB who tried covering him.
After watching his performance over the weekend, it’s not so much that he has a case to be considered as the No. 1 WR prospect — it’s that somebody else is going to have to make an incredible case that they deserve to be ranked ahead of Branch and his limitless upside. Put simply, he’s the most exciting high school wide receiver I’ve seen in person in four years of covering 7-on-7 and the camp circuit out West.
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2. There are currently three five-stars in the state of Texas for the 2023 class. All three are likely to stay at in-state programs.
Gorney’s take: FACT. This one is tough because Oklahoma is a major contender for both Anthony Hill and David Hicks, but if I had to pick right now both would end up in Texas A&M’s class. That leaves TJ Shanahan, who is originally from Orlando, Fla., and just moved to Austin (Texas) Westlake for his junior season. That does not necessarily lock him into an in-state school by any means, and he had a national approach to his recruitment anyway. But Shanahan really respects offensive coordinator Kyle Flood at Texas and he is closely watching Texas A&M as well. A lot of other schools are heavily involved with the five-star offensive lineman, and his recruitment could still go a lot of ways. But getting more familiar with Austin – and getting to Texas more – I’d say he can definitely stick somewhere close.
Suchomel’s take: FICTION. I'm inclined to say fact, but Shanahan seems like a wild card who could wind up just about anywhere at this point. Alabama and others are strong players for Hill, but I'd predict him to choose either Texas or Texas A&M right now. Hicks feels like he'll stay close to home, so Oklahoma is a factor, but A&M seems to have the most momentum. A&M and Texas are both heavily involved for Shanahan, but he's likely to be a national recruit that will evaluate programs all over the country. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility that all three wind up at in-state schools, but the odds favor at least one of them signing with someone outside of the state of Texas.
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3. Missouri commit Brett Norfleet has landed offers from Alabama, Auburn, Miami and Ohio State in recent days. The Tigers should be concerned.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Call me naive but I get the sense that Norfleet is happy with his Missouri commitment and not going to look around all that much. When all those offers piled in from those national power programs, I straight up asked Norfleet if Missouri has anything to worry about and his response was that he is committed to Missouri and coach Eli Drinkwitz and he believes in what Drinkwitz is building in Columbia. The temptation to consider other programs is real, and maybe visits happen and things change, but Norfleet seems pretty locked in.
Williams’ take: FACT. One of the biggest reasons Norfleet committed to Missouri was due to his relationship with former tight ends coach Casey Woods, who is now SMU's offensive coordinator. Blueblood, Power Five programs were beginning to offer before the Rivals250 prospect committed to Missouri, and that obviously hasn't stopped. I think it will take a lot to pull Norfleet away from his Missouri pledge, but he's got some other intriguing options to mull over.