By JAKE FENNER, US SPORTS WRITER
Published: 16:51 EDT, 17 March 2026 | Updated: 16:52 EDT, 17 March 2026
Carson Towt is hoping to become the latest former college basketball star to be converted into an NFL tight end.
Towt, who played college basketball this season with the University of Notre Dame, had his career end last week when the Fighting Irish were eliminated in the ACC Tournament.
Notre Dame did not earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, leaving Towt to contemplate his next moves.
Now, he's signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts - with the team planning to convert him to a tight end.
Towt, who led the Fighting Irish in rebounding this season, has not played football at any level.
The Colts have reason to believe this would work - considering they famously succeeded with former VCU basketball player Mo Alie-Cox, who finished his ninth year in the NFL.
Former Notre Dame basketball star Carson Towt has signed for the Indianapolis Colts
Towt is hoping to use his physique to become a tight end despite never playing football
Towt is hoping to follow the path of another Indianapolis Colts tight end - Mo Alie-Cox, who played basketball at VCU and is now entering his ninth season in the NFL
Towt believes he can seamlessly transition to football based on 'an awareness of my physical gifts that were showcased on the basketball floor.'
He added, 'I think this sport honors those things and my frame, how I developed as a player, kind of my play style and what I pride myself on.'
Towt was listed at 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds. He previously led the nation in rebounding while playing at Northern Arizona in the 2024-25 season.
He plans to view Alie-Cox as a blueprint of what his career could be and even connected with the longtime NFL star in recent months as he considered these next steps.
'You hear the story and you're like, 'Okay, maybe he's in a different position,'' Towt said of Alie-Cox, who also never played football before going to the NFL.
'No, he actually had to start from square one, too. So, I thought that was special and can relate to that.'
Such an experiment has mixed results. In addition to Alie-Cox, Pro Football Hall of Famer Antonio Gates transitioned to the NFL after playing college basketball at Kent State. Meanwhile, former Coastal Carolina basketball star Colin Granger was released last May by the Carolina Panthers after signing with them.
Indianapolis Colts