Get to Know Your Orange Man: #34, RB JJ Branham

It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.

Up next is….

Name: JJ Branham

Position: Running back

Year: Redshirt junior

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 205 lbs

Hometown: Columbus, OH

High School/Previous College: Northland High School (Eastern Michigan and Blinn College)

2022 stats: Branham carried the ball 107 times for 648 yards (over six yards per carry) and seven rushing touchdowns in his return to the field last season.

2023 projections: Branham was added to the roster at the time when presumed starting running back LeQuint Allen’s return was up in the air. With Allen back in the fold and loaded depth in the backfield, Branham will be one of several backs competing for touches this fall.

How’d he get here?: Branham redshirted in 2019 at Eastern Michigan before suiting up with Blinn College this past season. He joined the Orange over offers from Kentucky, Boston College and Pittsburgh.

What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars on 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN

Money quote: Branham’s journey has been an inspiring one, and he was definitely a fan of the love the Syracuse program was showing him:

“To be honest, I wasn’t getting any attention or any love from many schools... Syracuse stuck with me for the whole process, about three or four months. They kept up that relationship. They were pretty much the only one who kept it consistent with me,” Branham said. “With me, I’m a loyalty guy. If you’re loyal to me, I’m loyal to you. So I ended up committing to Syracuse.”

Twitter feed: @JJBRANHAM06

Instagram feed: @iam.branham

Instagram/Twitter posts of wonder: Gym rat alert:

Interesting nugget o’interest: I mentioned Branham’s unique upbringing earlier. He was homeless for two years after transferring out of Eastern Michigan, hopping to multiple convenient stores to make ends meet before getting a return to the limelight with Blinn College and now Syracuse.

Let’s get a look at ya: To the JUCO tape we go: