Notre Dame forward Carson Towt announced back on February 23 that he had signed with JB Sports for NFL representation, looking to make a career transition from the college basketball ranks into the NFL.
On Tuesday, March 17, those ambitions became reality, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Towt was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as a tight end.
Colts signed Notre Dame basketball forward Carson Towt with the idea of converting him to tight end. pic.twitter.com/BXZCKbixBE
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2026
Originally a walk-on with the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona, Towt played four seasons in Flagstaff, taking a medical redshirt in the 2023-24 season, before transferring to Notre Dame ahead of this last season.
In his one season of action on the hardwood for the Fighting Irish, Towt started all 31 games, snaring a total of 279 rebounds (9.0 rebounds per game) to lead the team.
The JB Sports initial statement regarding Towt's NFL Transition read, in part:
"JB Sports is fired up to welcome Notre Dame's stud Basketball player Carson Towt for NFL Representation!! Every skill set Carson has translates to the next level and we are excited to see where he goes."
Notably, Towt did not play football at any point in either high school or college.
The former Fighting Irish star is far from the first hoops player to transition to the NFL, although he is probably one of the least-experienced.
Antonio Gates famously converted from a college basketball standout into an NFL Hall of Famer, but Gates was recruited to Michigan State by Nick Saban out of high school and was looking to play both sports when he enrolled.
Jimmy Graham is another famous collegiate hooper who made his fame in the NFL, but Graham actually made the transition while in college, staying in Coral Gables as a graduate student for the 2009 season and proving to be a productive, albeit raw, prospect after 13 games of experience that he parlayed into a third-round selection.
Perhaps the closest comparison to draw would actually be Towt's new teammate, Mo Alie-Cox.
A power forward in college at VCU, Alie-Cox was a decorated star on the hardwood, tabbed three times as an Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team selection, and he even earned Third-Team All-Atlantic 10 honors as a junior.
Despite having last played organized football during his freshman year of high school, Alie-Cox decided that his next step after finishing his collegiate career was in the NFL, making a similar announcement to Towt and signing with the Colts on April 21, 2017, under similar circumstances as the former Notre Dame forward.
The Colts referenced this in their statement announcing the signing, which read:
With the Colts, Towt will join a tight end with a similar background in Mo Alie-Cox. Alie-Cox played basketball at VCU and was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017; the 32-year-old veteran just re-signed with the Colts on Monday and became the second-longest tenured member of the Colts roster.
The Colts currently have three tight ends rostered that Towt will have to compete with: Their 2025 first-rounder, Tyler Warren, the aforementioned Alie-Cox, and Will Mallory, a former fifth-rounder from the 2023 Draft.