ATHENS — It’s easy to understand why there is a fascination with transfer receiver Zachariah Branch.

He was a 5-star prospect in the 2023 class, doubling as the No. 1 receiver for the cycle. He produced at USC, making an impact as a punt returner while improving gradually as a wide receiver.

He’s entering a program that desperately needs help at wide receiver. Count CBS Sports' Chris Hummer among those eager to see what Branch will do for Georgia.

"If there’s a swing player for UGA’s offense next season, it’s Branch," Hummer wrote. “On paper he probably seems like a one-to-one Arian Smith replacement -- one burner taking another burner’s spot on the depth chart. But Branch can be so much more. Branch’s 10.4-second 100-meter speed allows him to run the vertical routes Smith did so well for UGA. But Branch, at least his freshman year at USC, profiled as a havoc creator in the slot with his ability to quickly change directions and run-after-the-catch ability in the open field.”

But Branch isn’t the only transfer wide receiver Georgia brought in this offseason. The Bulldogs also nabbed Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas.

And it is Thomas, not Branch, who might be better suited to make an immediate impact for Georgia this fall.

Thomas has SEC experience, spending the past three seasons in College Station, Texas. Thomas was more productive in each of the last two years, catching 39 passes for 574 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Aggies last season.

But Thomas' experience doesn’t just extend to the SEC. He also knows his position coach very well, as James Coley worked at Texas A&M for Thomas' first two seasons.

Coley played a big part in getting Thomas out of the transfer portal and that familiarity should only help ease Thomas' transition to Georgia. He’ll know how Coley wants things done at the wide receiver position.

Branch does bring a speed element to the offense. But Georgia had that a season ago in Smith, who had a team-best 817 receiving yards. Kirby Smart and Coley would be over the moon if Branch produced similar numbers in his first season in Athens, especially as Georgia will be breaking in a new starting quarterback.

Thomas, perhaps more importantly, brings something to the Georgia offense it was missing entirely for much of the 2024 season: size. The 6-foot-5 Thomas has the ability to play outside and win contested battles.

Rara Thomas, a former Mississippi State transfer, was supposed to be that guy for Georgia but he was dismissed from the team in August following a family violence arrest.

Colbie Young, listed at 6-foot-3 but certainly looks the part of being 6-foot-5, caught touchdowns in Georgia’s first two games in 2024. But he was arrested on two charges in October and was suspended for the rest of the season.

Young’s legal troubles have since been resolved. We’ll see if he is fully reinstated to the team, with Smart set to speak to reporters next week. Young was granted an extra year of eligibility due to the Diego Pavia verdict.

Having Thomas and Young would make Georgia feel much better about what it has at the X receiver position. Dillon Bell was forced to play the position last year as the suspensions mounted, putting him in a position where he wasn’t allowed to do what he does best.

Georgia needs Thomas and Branch to produce in 2025. The Bulldogs led the country in drops last season and Georgia made it a point to add the two transfers so as to bolster the talent in the receiver room.

And while Branch has been the more celebrated of the two additions to this point, when the pads come on, don’t be shocked if it is Thomas that quickly blossoms for the Bulldogs.