With an all-time record of 793 wins and 11 national championships, USC Trojans is one of the top programs in college football. “No matter how good the plan is, you have to have everybody pulling in the same direction,” said USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley while explaining the importance of each player along with the efforts of coaches.

If talking about him, Lincoln Riley has had a fair share of contributions to the team; right after joining in 2022, he led USC to an 11-3 record, and the Trojans offense guided by him scored 579 points, which led the team to rank among the top in college football. Besides that, when the season is knocking on the door, Lincoln Riley has come across a difficult situation from a key player’s injury, and the possibilities are that he might end up skipping the season. If that happens, the Trojans will have to face a major loss.

The former top 50 prospect, Zion Branch, got injured while practicing and ended up hurting his hand.”Zion had to have a minor procedure done on one of his fingers,” said the head coach while interacting with media houses, and when asked about Zion’s injury, he further said that he had a minor injury and might miss one to two days. Moreover, Riley praised Zion Branch by giving an example of the camp that Zion attended and impressed everyone with his game.

Riley added that he can bounce back from an injury like he did before, and they have seen it. He‘ll come out even better and stronger, both mentally and physically. The head coach mentioned that they were excited to get Zion back as soon as he can. While talking about the same, Zion Branch was heard saying “I was never frustrated because I know the type of player I am.” He added that he had been to something like it before, and that’s why it’s not that hard for him to come back for the season.

6-foot-2, 210-pounder Branch is considered one of the key players given his past performances. As a safety, he has a record of 22 tackles and a tackle for loss with a forced fumble in the nine games, among which he started one in 2023. Let‘s learn about the previous injuries Branch has faced in the past that he has been talking about.

Lincoln Riley’s safety faced injuries previously 

During his freshman second year, he faced a lower-body injury, resulting in him playing the safety in rotation with Max Williams. His notable game against Utah resulted in him earning his first career start soon after. While making a tackle, he got injured again in the first half of the game against California, after which head coach Lyncoln Riley announced that he’d have to undergo surgery.

Following that, Branch missed the 2022 season because of tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee, but he remained calm and thanked God for everything that he had planned for him. Currently, he’s trying to recover from the injury and will come up for the 2024 season. Along with Branch, there are players like Miller Moss, Carson Tabaracci, Kamari Ramsey, and Bear Alexander, who are crucial defense players who can successfully lead the USC Trojans to the Big Ten championship under the guidance of Lincoln Riley. Besides that, do let us know who you are supporting this season. Any favorites?