Branson Combs reconnects with Saluki Football family during NFL bye week
- Tom Weber
- Oct 27
- 5 min read
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker and Saluki Football alum Branson Combs (2019-23) returned to campus during Homecoming Weekend, one week after he became the 44th player in SIU history to play in the NFL.
Combs began his career at wide receiver at SIU and caught the game-winning touchdown in the playoff victory at Weber State in 2020. Head coach Nick Hill moved him to linebacker in the fall of 2021, where he became a two-time All-Conference player and contributed to some of the biggest wins in school history.
StrongDawgs Conversation with Branson Combs
SD: Congratulations on making your NFL debut last week. How was that experience?
BC: It was definitely cool to see the jersey and know that I can't have that taken away now — I've played an NFL game. Not that I've made it by any means. I’ve still got a long way to go as a player. Hopefully, I can play in a lot more games, but it was really cool to look up and see where I've been able to get to.
SD: What made you decide to sign with Jacksonville?
BC: As an un-drafted free agent, you’re looking for a team that’s going to give you the opportunity, so it came down to a few that were offering me the opportunity. Talking with my agent, we felt Jacksonville was the best place with how they saw me fitting in.
SD: What goes through a rookie’s mind during your first NFL training camp?
BC: You're thinking, how do I make this team? That’s what the process has to be every day. What can I do today to help myself make it? As an un-drafted rookie, you're not getting many reps, and you have to take advantage of the few you get. You might only get two or three reps some days, and when you get those two or three reps, you got to do something that impresses the coaches or shows that you're locked in and know what you're doing. You can’t use the excuse, I don't know it, because I'm not getting to rep it. That doesn't work. You get cut and go home.
The approach has to be, you're locked in, you're ready, and when you get called for your reps, you take advantage of them. That’s my mindset every single day.
SD: Was there a moment when you felt confident you were going to make the team?
BC: No, I don't know that there was ever a time where I was like, oh, I think I've done enough. I think that kind of mindset is where you can get a little complacent. When I got there, I felt like I belonged. I felt like I can compete with anybody there, but your mindset has to be that I haven't done enough, I got to do more, I have to be better today.
That’s the life of the NFL, and what's awesome about it is that every day you're competing for your job. Every single rep and everything you do is valuable, and everything's got to be at your best. I’m taking an approach that I'm trying to perfect every little detail.
SD: What made you decide to come back to visit your alma mater during your bye week?
BC: There's a lot of teammates I’m excited to see this weekend and the coaching staff as well. I’m getting to reconnect with the people who helped my football career in so many ways. It's just a close-knit place where relationships last.
SD: Initially, you weren't excited about the move from wide receiver to linebacker after your freshman year?
BC: It wasn't like I was pouting about it. I told Coach Hill, “I’ll do what you ask. I just feel like I'm starting over.” He came back and said, “I think this is the right way to go.” I thought I was getting better at wide receiver, but it would have never worked out. I was never too good of a wide receiver. My body type, how I move, is more fit to play linebacker than receiver. He saw that, and I should have seen that at the time.
SD: At what point did you realize it was a great move?
BC: Yeah, it was during the first season. It took a little while to get my bearings. We had played in the spring and it was a quick turnaround into the fall, so I really just had a summer to figure it out. I was splitting time with Jakari (Patterson) and he went down with an injury and I ended up playing most of the UNI game and had a pretty good game, and that's kind of where it clicked and I’m thinking, all right, I can do this a little bit.
SD: You had so many memorable moments during your Saluki career. What do you remember about the South Dakota State win, when you broke up the two-point conversion attempt in overtime?
BC: I was still splitting reps there and wasn’t getting as many reps, since Jakari was playing better. I ended up being able to finish it out with making a play in the end zone. I don't think I really did anything too special there. The ball came my way and I was able to make a play on it, but that's another one where it's just kind of a cool memory to look back on that. I happened to be the one that made the play at the end of the game.
SD: You had one of your best performances in the win at Northwestern.
BC: That game was awesome. No one expects you to win that one. That's a game you're going up there to get beat. That's just how it is as an FCS school, go up there to get beat and move on in the next week. Well, that's never been the approach here. That's what I love about Coach Hill. We're going up there to win a football game. That's how Coach Hill is and that's always going to be the approach here. We expected to win the game and coming out with a win was awesome.
SD: Talk about your relationship with Coach Hill and how it has continued even after you left SIU.
BC: I just appreciate how much he's helped me throughout my football career, first of all, giving me a shot out of high school when I didn’t have many offers, and turning me into the player I am. After the 2023 season, Coach Hill said, “I get it, you gave us five years. That's really all we ask for, and we support what you want to do.” Even now, playing in the NFL, I've always stayed in touch with Coach Hill and had a great relationship with him, so it's really cool to come back here and be able to see him again.
SD: Tell me about your family.
BC: Yeah, I have the little one here, Dani, and my wife, Nicole. She’s a Saluki Soccer alum. They've been down in Jacksonville with us. We’ve kind of settled down there, which has been great for our family.
