Branson Combs
Career Summary
Branson Combs is a linebacker from Evansville, Indiana, who played at Southern Illinois and Wake Forest before signing with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
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Early Life
Combs was born July 14, 2000, and is the son of Ronnie and Annette Combs. He also played baseball and basketball at Reitz Memorial High School.
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High School
At Reitz Memorial in Evansville, Combs ranked fourth in Indiana high-school career receiving yards with 3,732. As a senior, he had 75 receptions for 1,517 yards and 32 touchdowns, led the team to an IHSAA 3A state-finals appearance, and had eight catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns in the championship game.
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College Career
Combs began his college career at Southern Illinois, where he played from 2019 through 2023, then transferred to Wake Forest for 2024. Across the two programs, he recorded 124 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, an interception and three passes defensed.
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Path to the NFL
Combs signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft.
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NFL Career
Combs entered the NFL with Jacksonville in 2025. Jaguars transactions show he was waived August 26, added to the practice squad August 27 and signed to the active roster November 13; the cited sources do not establish a regular-season statistical record.
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Career Accomplishments
Combs earned second-team All-ACC honors at Wake Forest in 2024, his third straight all-conference award after All-MVFC selections at Southern Illinois in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, he recorded 94 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
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Playing Style
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds, Combs is a linebacker. Wake Forest credited him with an 86.5 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024, fourth among ACC linebackers, while he averaged 9.8 tackles over the season's final five games.
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Sources for this section
31069, 00-0040326, 2000-07-14, Branson Combs, Branson, Combs
MFT PLAYER RANKINGS
Current player ranking
MFT Score: 40.7
2026 preseason baseline. Position-relative and updated through the site’s weekly review process.