Colts ink Notre Dame basketball player Carson Towt as TE prospect - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Carson Towt just ended one athletic career and has now started another only a week later.

The former Notre Dame basketball player on Tuesday signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts, who intend to give him a shot as a tight end. The Colts famously have had success with a similar project, former VCU basketball player Mo Alie-Cox, who re-signed this week and is entering his ninth season as a tight end with the team.

Towt, who led Notre Dame in rebounding (9.0 per game), played in his final game with the Irish in last week's ACC tournament. But with his eligibility now up, he is turning his attention to football, which he has never played at any level.

Towt said his belief that he can make the transition is based on «just an awareness of my physical gifts that were showcased on the basketball floor… 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, who the Irish listed at 6-8 and 250 pounds, said he sees himself as a physical basketball player. He led the nation in rebounding in 2024-25 while at Northern Arizona. He's also been one of the better offensive rebounders in the country. In 2024-25, he was a unanimous Big Sky all-defensive team selection.

The success the Colts had with Alie-Cox likely informed the decision to give Towt a shot. And Towt said he took some inspiration from Alie-Cox, with whom he connected in recent months when Towt was considering this path. Alie-Cox also had no football experience.

«You hear the story and you're like, 'Okay, maybe he's in a different position,'» Towt said of Alie-Cox. «No, he actually had to start from square one, too. So, I thought that was special and can relate