Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek defensive back @Brian Br">Brian Branch isn’t quite sure which schools will make it into his official top five just yet, but after his first visit to Gainesville, he is expecting Florida to make the cut.
The 247 Composite Top 250 prospect met with three coaches during his visit – offensive line coach John Hevesy, safeties coach Ron English, and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray. He broke down the visit to Inside the Gators.
“It was good,” Branch began. “I got to sit in the film room with them and just see how they coach. Coach English gave me a serious approach and Coach Gray was lit. He gave me lit vibes, not too serious. Mostly just having fun.”
Branch noted that while his visit, most notably with Gray, was like hanging with a friend, the kind of work he – and the rest of Florida’s staff – does with defensive backs is impressive.
“I know what they do,” Branch said. “They get DBs to the league. They develop them. Torrian Gray especially, like, he was with the Redskins.”
While Branch might not know any of the Gators who contribute to the famous DBU, 6-foot, 182-pound junior has definitely heard of a few.
“Trey Dean, CJ Henderson, they’re doing a good job with those boys. And [Chris] Steele. I’ve heard good things about him too.”
The four-star got his official Gators offer just under a month ago and was pleasantly surprised by his first time in the Swamp, both on and off the field.
“The campus was nothing what I expected,” Branch said. “It was so big… bigger than the rest of the colleges I’ve been to. I like the coaching staff, the facilities… the academics are huge. So many different varieties [of majors]. You’ll never fail [at UF]. Period.”
Like all recruits do on visits, Branch got to try on the uniform. Unlike all recruits do, Branch picked out everyone’s favorite combo.
“Usually I see like the blue and orange, the blue and white, white and orange, you know. I just thought, ‘why not just wear the all-white?’”
Branch tells ITG that he is planning to make his pledge before August, but before that he will release a top five sometime before the end of the month.
Out of his 26 offers, he is zeroing in on the likes of Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Michigan.
While he will not be in the Swamp for next weekend’s Orange and Blue Debut (and will instead attend Oklahoma’s Spring Game), Branch plans to return during the summer and knows what he wants out of a more formal visit.
“I definitely want to meet Coach [Dan] Mullen,” he stated. “But I also really want to see a practice. I want to see them move around and see how the coaches actually coach and see what their coaching style is.”
| Service | 247 | ESPN | Rivals |
| Ranking | #95 | 5.7rated/Three-star |