USC football is really excited about the possibility of getting plays from redshirt freshman Zion Branch at the safety position this year. The Trojans defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is gushing over how much progress Zion Branch has made ever since being cleared to return from the knee injury that kept him out last season, reports the Los Angeles Times' Thuc Chi Nguyen.

“He [Zion Branch] has made as much progress in 14 days as anybody that I've ever been around. It's been real exciting to see. Credit completely goes to him and a guy that we're excited about moving forward, so I think he'll have a role with us.”

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This is some high praise from Alex Grinch for Zion Branch, and it echoes what USC football is expecting from the 6-foot-2 safety this season. Branch specifically believes that with the year off, his knee injury ended up being a blessing in disguise.

“I feel like really I got a chance to hone in on my skills technically. [I] got to hone in on my strength in the weight room and definitely in the film room, having a whole year just learning mentally and getting to watch these great safeties and great DBs we have around us.”

This has to be music to USC football fans ears, as a year with National Championship aspirations sits around the corner. Stay tuned into any more news out of Trojans fall camp as they prepare to follow Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams into the college football promised land in 2023.