Eli Raridon isn’t the only tight end that Notre Dame football is putting into the NFL this offseason
The Indianapolis Colts have signed former Notre Dame basketball player Carson Towt.
Notre Dame football has a deep and rich history of putting talented tight ends into the NFL. That should happen again this offseason with former Fighting Irish standout Eli Raridon, who is expected to come off the board in the mid rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. His combination of size and explosiveness is well-liked on the NFL level, as long as his medicals check out.
As it turns out, Raridon isn’t the only tight end that Notre Dame is putting into the NFL this offseason. Former Notre Dame basketball player Carson Towt is reportedly making the jump to the NFL level after spending six seasons playing college basketball. The 6-8, 250-pound forward signed with the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday with the intentions of making the switch to tight end.
This is a fun but bizarre story about Towt, who has never played organized football in his life. Following the conclusion of his college basketball career just a couple of weeks ago, Towt made the full jump into giving the game of football a shot. Behind the scenes, this was something his agent had been working on for a bit. Towt had reportedly met with some NFL teams at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, gauging the interest for his potential NFL career.
This is going to be a steep learning curve for Towt, who clearly has soft hands and natural size. How quickly he learns the nuances of playing the game of football and gets comfortable on the field will determine what his chances really are. Perhaps a spot on a practice squad could be in his future, or this fun story will fade off into the sunset. Only time will tell.
Do the Indianapolis Colts have their next Mo Alie-Cox? We are all going to find out this offseason.
Carson Towt’s basketball career
A standout at Gilbert High School in Arizona, Towt originally stayed at home with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. After redshirting during his first year with the team in 2019, he became an important performer for the team over the next four seasons. During that stretch, Towt managed to score 1,199 points, while averaging 9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and three assists per game.
Due to the COVID year in 2020, Towt was able to maintain another year of eligibility. He utilized it to transfer to Notre Dame, where he would spend his final season. During that season, Towt started 31 games for the Fighting Irish, averaging 5.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. Known for his rugged style and notoriously bad free throw shooting, Towt has now officially turned in his basketball shoes for a helmet and some cleats.