Freshman DB Daran Branch no longer on team
Daran Branch was one of the late additions to the Bulldogs No. 1 ranked 2020 recruiting class.
Branch, out of Amite, Louisiana, originally committed to Ole Miss back in November of 2019. Branch was offered a scholarship from the Bulldogs staff on December 26th, shortly after former Ole Miss Head Coach Matt Luke was hired at Georgia. Branch then flipped his commitment to the Bulldogs in February on National Signing Day.
Sources have confirmed that Daran Branch is no longer a part of the team. It is unclear at this time what the reason for this departure is. The story was first reported by Dawgnation.
With the former three-star prospect out, that leaves the Bulldogs with just two freshmen cornerbacks in Justin Kimber and Kelee Ringo, who is currently out indefinitely. With Branch now out, this further emphasizes the need for defensive backs in the 2021 cycle.
The Bulldogs already have David Daniel and Javon Bullard committed in the secondary, as well as the recently committed De'Jahn Warren.
As we've mentioned here on Dawgs Daily on SI.com, the University of Georgia is planning on taking at least five defensive backs with the potential to add more with the loss of Branch. In the meantime, the loss is somewhat of a blow to the Bulldogs' depth in the secondary for the time being. Especially considering the time we are in with in terms of COVID-19 and with Kelee Ringo having had surgery to repair a labrum tear.
Depth is a priority this fall for every football team. As we saw on Wednesday with LSU's offensive line having all but four players either being diagnosed with COVID or being forced into quarantine because of COVID exposure.
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