Lincoln Riley has a reputation as an elite recruiter and developer at the quarterback position, but the Trojan head coach has been around his fair share of remarkable wide receivers as well.

On Wednesday, he signed what figures to be the latest star wideout to join his offense: 5-star wideout Zachariah Branch. And Riley offered some serious praise for the wideout when he met with reporters for a signing day press conference.

“You go a lot of years and don’t come across a guy who has that elite explosiveness combined with really, really good football skills,” Riley said. “A lot of the times you have to pick one or the other.”

Branch is the younger brother of USC freshman safety Zion Branch, a blue-chip recruit in his own right and the sixth-ranked safety in the 2022 cycle. Zion did not play this season due to injury, but his commitment played a role in both getting his brother to commit to the Trojans —  he announced nine days after Zion’s commitment last year — and then sticking with that commitment to sign on Wednesday.

“We recruited both Zach and his brother Zion some at Oklahoma,” Riley said. “Their family had come out there and, yeah, I remember seeing Zach when he was pretty young. It was apparent quickly that his explosiveness was very, very unique. You kind of talk about guys you think fit kind of the USC mold, I mean, both he and his brother, they’ve been raised by two outstanding parents. They’re great students, they’re great kids. They embrace everything about what it means to be a Trojan.”

Branch is one of three 5-star signees for the Trojans this cycle, joining quarterback Malachi Nelson and wideout Makai Lemon as three of the 32 best high school seniors in the country. He ranks as the fifth-best overall recruit in the class, according to the 247 Composite.