The Indianapolis Colts have signed tight end Carson Towt, a 24-year-old former Notre Dame basketball player with no prior football experience. Towt, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 250 pounds, joins the team's tight end group after a college basketball career at Northern Arizona and Notre Dame. He cited his physical attributes and long-standing interest in football as reasons for the transition.
The Indianapolis Colts added an unconventional talent to their roster by signing Carson Towt as a tight end during NFL free agency. Towt, who last played power forward for Notre Dame's basketball team, has no experience in high school or college football. At Northern Arizona, he earned second-team All-Big Sky honors in 2025 and led the NCAA in rebounds that season. This year at Notre Dame, he averaged 5.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game before transitioning sports at age 24, arriving at Lucas Oil Stadium to pursue his football ambitions. Towt arrives at Lucas Oil Stadium after a decorated career on the hardwood. He spent the bulk of his tenure in college at Northern Arizona, where he earned second-team All-Big Sky honors in 2025 while also leading the NCAA in rebounds that season. He transferred to Notre Dame this past season and averaged 5.9 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Towt explained his motivation: > I've had the itch to play football pretty much all through college. It's kind of worked out where my basketball career has come to an end in college, and it's perfect timing to kind of segue into this transition. He emphasized his physical profile: > Just an awareness of my physical gifts that were showcased on the basketball floor. I think this sport honors those gifts... I pride myself on dirty work and rebounding, and being physical. So I think football almost honors those a little bit better than basketball does. Towt follows a path blazed by others, including Colts teammate Mo Alie-Cox, who transitioned from VCU basketball to the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and recently re-signed. Similar successes include Hall of Famer Antonio Gates and five-time Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham. Towt joins a tight end room led by second-year player Tyler Warren and Alie-Cox, alongside Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory, and Sean McKeon on the 90-man offseason roster.
