Although a knee injury hampered his 2007 season, and a shoulder bruise cut short his 2008 spring practice, Branch is a strong candidate to start at QB this season. He showed tremendous leadership ability along with shrewd field generalship, a deft passing touch and deep capability last season. He and John Hundley are expected to battle for the job in fall camp.
2007-08 Honors: 2008 SLC Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll... NSU Athletic Honor Roll, Gold (3.5-3.99), fall 2007; Silver (3.0-3.49), spring 2008.
2007: Branch overcame a midseason knee injury and a recurrence late in the year to contribute to a pair of stirring wins ... in relief of injured starter Germayne Edmond at Nicholls State (10/6), suffered a dislocated knee on a rollout in the second quarter ... incredibly, he recovered enough to start and go the distance at QB the following week, engineering a home win over Southeastern Louisiana ... he threw a 37-yard TD pass with 3:16 left at Ole Miss to draw NSU within 38-31 but the Demons never got the ball back ... the following week, on 11/10 at unbeaten McNeese, he relieved the injured Edmond and led NSU downfield before hurting his knee again just before halftime ... again, the following week, he was able to play, this time coming off the bench and throwing a perfect 72-yard TD strike to ignite a season-ending 31-12 win ... overall, played in nine games... played in nine games at quarterback, connecting on 41 of 73 passes for 471 yards and three touchdowns... led the team with a 56.2 completion percentage... rushed for 45 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown... best game was against Southeastern Louisiana when he completed 12 of 21 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown... also ran for a score... completed 17 of 23 passes in his last four games played.
Prior to NSU: All-America honorable mention and all-conference honors at Reedley College last season after passig for 2,130 yards and 16 touchdowns... in a two-year career, threw for 2,980 yards and 24 TDs... held a 3.7 gpa, earning academic all-American honors... freshman season, team finished as conference champions with a 10-1 record and were beaten in the Nor-Cal championship game.
Branch in High School: Three-time all-league and all-city player for Exeter High School... threw for 2,557 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior and 1,953 yards and 17 TDs as a senior... graduated with a 3.4 gpa earning honor roll honors and a spot on the Principal’s List... a member of FCA... letter in basketball, baseball and track.
Branch’s Personal: Son of Dick Branch and Lindsey Maness... one brother, Chad (12) and two sisters, Kasey Lane (25) and Taylor Wallen (17)... brother-in-law is former Houston Astros player Jason Lane... majoring in exercise science and plans to go into physical therapy.
