BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech football coach Brent Pry announced several football support staff changes and additions. The talented group brings years of experience from Power Five programs, including Wisconsin, Clemson, West Virginia and Penn State.
Jan Johnson moves from his role as a defensive analyst to a graduate assistant position while Rob Branch assumes a new role as a graduate assistant, after serving in player personnel. In addition, Pry has added Rachid Ibrahim as a graduate assistant and Brandon McCombs as a special teams analyst.
"Jan and Rob are extremely bright individuals who have been in our program and understand our culture and vision," Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry said. "It's exciting to see their passion for the game and I can't wait to watch them grow as they take the next step in their coaching journey."
Pry continued, "We are thrilled to welcome Rachid and Brandon to Blacksburg. They are both highly motivated and pay great attention to detail. With their depth of experience at highly successful Power Five programs, they will be great assets to our team's preparation, providing us with a competitive edge."
Johnson (Mohnton, Pa., Governor Mifflin) spent the 2022 season as a defensive analyst at Tech. He played linebacker for Pry at Penn State from 2015-19 where he was a member of the 2016 Big Ten Championship team. Johnson played in two New Year's Six bowl games, the Rose Bowl following the 2016 season as well as the 2019 Cotton Bowl. A team captain as a senior in 2019, he started all 13 games, earning honorable mention All-America honors from Pro Football Focus and honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. In addition, Johnson served as a heavyweight on Penn State's national championship-winning wrestling squad in 2015. He was a member of the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2021 after originally entering the NFL as a free agent with the Houston Texans in 2020.
Johnson graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in management and organizational leadership.
Branch (Baltimore, Md., Gilman) spent last season as a player personnel assistant for the Hokies. He joined Pry's staff after spending four years at West Virginia State where he was the safeties and corners coach, managing his position rooms and developing all-conference athletes in addition to assisting on special teams. Branch also served as the head recruiter for athletics in the admissions department.
He won a national championship playing for James Madison in 2016 where he played safety for two seasons. Branch concluded his playing career at West Virginia State where he was a team captain and earned the program's MVP award.
Ibrahim (Rockville, Md., Avalon) was a standout running back at both Pittsburgh and Wisconsin, playing in 42 career games. As a senior with the Badgers in 2017, he served as the primary third-down back, registering 28 carries for 130 rushing yards, capping the season with a New Year's Six bowl appearance in the Orange Bowl. Ibrahim rushed for 399 yards on 60 carries in two seasons of action at Pittsburgh. He spent the 2022 season as an offensive assistant at Wisconsin.
A Rockville, Maryland native, Ibrahim earned a bachelor's degree in communications at Pittsburgh before earning a master's degree in educational leadership and policy analysis from Wisconsin in 2019.
Johnson and Ibrahim join Austin Fields, who remains as a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and line coach Ron Crook.
McCombs (Easley, S.C., Easley) spent 13 seasons in a full-time capacity at Clemson, including the last 10 as an assistant for special teams analysis. Clemson won at least 10 games in every year of McCombs' tenure assisting Clemson's coaching staff on special teams, including seven ACC titles, six CFP berths and two national championships. During that time, Clemson finished in the top half of the ACC in kickoff coverage seven times, including leading the conference and finishing 13th in the country with 17.56 yards allowed per return in 2019.
McCombs began his career working as a student assistant at Clemson in 2005 and was a player development coach in the strength training room from 2010-12. He earned a bachelor's degree in sport management from Clemson in 2009.