Former Georgia, USC WR Zachariah Branch arrested on multiple charges days before 2026 NFL Draft

Former Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch was arrested for obstruction, according to an arrest sheet from Athens Clarke County. Branch was booked at 1:26 a.m. local time on Sunday morning, while being released roughly two hours later.

Branch’s charges were as follows: OBSTRUCTING PUBLIC SIDEWALKS/STREETS – PROWLING and OBSTRUCTION OF LEO. The bond amounts were $10 and $29, per the sheet.

Branch finished his junior season with 811 receiving yards for six touchdowns in his first and now only season with the Bulldogs. He transferred into the program after a two-year stint at USC and then declared for the 2026 NFL Draft in January.

During his career, Branch caught 159 passes for 1,634 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s also a return specialist on both punt and kickoff. On special teams, Branch has totaled 83 returns (both punt and kickoff) for a total of 1,338 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came during his freshman season at USC.

Branch wrote a lengthy post on social media to go along with his declaration. He thanked numerous people for their contributions during his career, including his Georgia and USC teammates, coaches and fans. He referenced his faith and family as well.

“To everyone else who helped me throughout my journey, whether on the field or behind the scenes, I am truly grateful,” the statement read, in part. “l am excited to take the next step to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL.”

Before college, Branch was a Five-Star Plus+ recruit coming out of the 2023 recruiting class according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 4 overall player in the class, No. 1 player at his position and the top-ranked player from the state of Nevada.

The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. Branch could very well find his way into the first or second round during that process, despite the recent arrest.

Barkley Truax contributed to this report