Panthers sign college basketball player to play TE

Field Level Media|published: Mon 7th April, 13:27 2025

Notre Dame guard Julian Roper II (1) shoots the ball as Western Carolina forward Colin Granger (32) defends during the Western Carolina-Notre Dame NCAA Men s basketball game on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana.

Colin Granger doesn't have any football experience, but the Carolina Panthers are taking a chance that the former Division I basketball player could play tight end in the NFL.

The Panthers announced the signing of the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Granger on Monday.

With this move, Carolina is trying to strike gold like the then-San Diego Chargers did when they signed Antonio Gates to play tight end in 2003. An undersized power forward at Kent State, Gates played football in high school but not in college.

Granger, a Georgia native, started his basketball career at Ohio University in 2020 and spent two seasons there. In 2022-23, he played at Western Carolina before moving on to Central Carolina for the past two seasons.

Gates will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, this summer after a 16-year NFL career, all with the Chargers.

--Field Level Media