Is Carson Towt the next Mo Alie-Cox? Colts sign Notre Dame basketball player
Is Carson Towt the next Mo Alie-Cox? Colts sign Notre Dame basketball player
Jack McKessy, USA TODAYTue, March 17, 2026 at 10:15 PM UTC
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Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard is either excited for March Madness, looking to get some extra luck o' the Irish on St. Patrick's Day, or both.
On March 17, the Colts signed Notre Dame men's basketball forward Carson Towt to a contract as an undrafted free agent. Indianapolis wrote in its press release announcing the transaction that the intent is to have Towt – who was listed as 6-foot-7, 250 pounds – play tight end in the NFL.
Towt's signing is reminiscent to the Colts' decision to sign former VCU basketball player Mo Alie-Cox in 2017. Alie-Cox never played college football, but he signed with Indianapolis to play tight end nine years ago. That was a move also negotiated by Ballard, then a first-year GM with the Colts.
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Unlike Alie-Cox, who had last played organized football his first year of high school before signing with the Colts, Towt did not play football in high school or college.
The Fighting Irish big man joined Notre Dame prior to the 2025-26 season as a graduate transfer from Northern Arizona. Towt started all 31 games for the Irish this year, averaging 9 rebounds and 5.9 points per game with a 61% field goal percentage.
Last year at Northern Arizona, Towt led the nation with 423 rebounds (12.4 a game).
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Ballard's decision to sign Alie-Cox and have him transition to football can be considered a moderate success. Alie-Cox spent his rookie season on Indy's practice squad, and since then, the Colts' tight end has 127 catches for 1,550 yards and 16 touchdowns in eight years.
On March 16, the Colts' re-signed Alie-Cox on a one-year deal, making him the franchise's second-longest tenured player, according to a press release.
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Colts make handful of free agency moves
Indianapolis signing Towt was only one of several moves the team made in free agency on St. Patrick's Day.
The Colts also signed nose tackle Jerry Tillery – a former Notre Dame football player who last played for the Kansas City Chiefs – along with cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt and safety Jonathan Owens, who is married to Olympic gold medalist gymnast Simone Biles.
Tillery, a former first-round pick, provides Indianapolis with extra rotational depth on the interior of its defensive line. He'll play alongside three-time Pro Bowler DeForest Buckner, veteran Grover Stewart and fourth-year Adetomiwa Adebawore. Tillery's contract details are still to be announced as of March 17.
Taylor-Britt and Owens both signed one-year deals. They'll join two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in the Colts' secondary.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colts sign Notre Dame basketball player Carson Towt to play tight end
Source: “AOL Sports”
