A converted wide receiver who taught himself linebacker at Southern Illinois and made the Jaguars' roster as an undrafted rookie.
Branson Combs spent six college seasons transforming from a record-setting high school receiver into a productive linebacker, first at Southern Illinois and then in a standout final year at Wake Forest. He went undrafted in 2025 but stuck with Jacksonville, earning an active-roster elevation in November after starting on the practice squad.
Path to the league
Combs starred as a wide receiver and linebacker at Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana, before joining Southern Illinois in 2019, where he moved permanently to linebacker in 2021. He transferred to Wake Forest for his sixth and final season in 2024, then signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent on April 26, 2025.
Career highlights
Combs earned second-team All-MVFC honors in back-to-back seasons at Southern Illinois in 2022 and 2023, piling up 86 tackles in his final year there. At Wake Forest in 2024, he started 10 of 11 games and posted 96 tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss, earning second-team All-ACC recognition.
2025 season recap
Combs began his rookie season on Jacksonville's practice squad after final roster cuts, then was elevated to the active roster on November 15. He finished the year with 9 tackles and a forced fumble in limited NFL action, becoming just the second player from Evansville to reach the NFL since 2007.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Branson Combs
- Yahoo Sports: Jacksonville Jaguars' 2025 UDFA profile - Wake Forest LB Branson Combs
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
10 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | jaguars | 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Wake Forest
- Hometown
- Evansville, IN, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
