Colts sign Notre Dame forward Carson Towt, who will convert to tight end

Notre Dame basketball forward Carson Towt will get his shot at the NFL, and he won’t have to move out of Indiana to do it.

The Indianapolis Colts signed Towt, who spent his seventh year of college at Notre Dame after five at Northern Arizona, with the intent to convert him to tight end. He would be their second power forward-to-tight end convert in the past decade, with Mo Alie-Cox still on the team after eight seasons.

The Colts signed him as an undrafted free agent — even though the NFL Draft doesn’t begin for over a month. It is not clear why they’re able to sign him now instead of waiting until after the draft, but the Colts announced his signing Tuesday afternoon.

Towt would be the second Notre Dame athlete in the NFL who did not play football for the Fighting Irish. The first is Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, a former men’s soccer star and a three-time Pro Bowler.

Shortly before his season starting at forward for third-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry came to an end, Towt signed with the agency JB Sports for NFL representation. JB Sports represents all positions, but its most prominent NFL players are tight ends. Its client list  includes San Fransisco’s George Kittle, Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft and Dallas’ Jake Ferguson. JB also represents former Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans, who enjoyed a productive rookie season with the Carolina Panthers in 2025.

In Indianapolis, Towt will team up with former Irish quarterback Riley Leonard. Other former Notre Dame stars on the Colts include kickers Spencer Shrader and Blake Grupe and of course, future Hall of Fame guard Quenton Nelson. They also announced the signing of former Irish defensive tackle Jerry Tillery on Tuesday.

According to the Colts, Towt did not play football at any point in high school or college.

What can Towt bring to the Colts?

Towt is one of Notre Dame’s best rebounders in recent memory, and that skillset certainly translates to playing tight end.

He finished his career at No. 52 on college basketball’s all-time rebounding list with 1,357. He led all of college basketball in rebounds per game last season with 12.4 at Northern Arizona, he finished fourth in the ACC with 9.4 at Notre Dame. At 6-foot-8 officially, Towt excellent height for the position. At 250 pounds, his weight is ideal as well (and if a team wants him to bulk up to 260, that can easily be accomplished).

Rebounding that well while being well under 6-foot-10 is extremely impressive, and it speaks to Towt’s hands, toughness and ability to position himself in the right spot to come down with the basketball. Each of those traits are translatable to making contested catches and playing tight end in football.