Indianapolis Colts

Colts sign VCU basketball player who reportedly hasn't played football in nine years

Published Apr. 20, 2017 6:52 p.m. ET

Andre Vergara

The Indianapolis Colts have signed former VCU basketball player Mo Alie-Cox, his agent confirmed to the Associated Press on Thursday.

Alie-Cox, 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, will try to make the team as a tight end. However, he hasn't played football since his freshman year of high school nine years ago, according to the AP, and took only a month to prepare for this month's workouts for NFL scouts since he wanted to complete his hoops career.

Alie-Cox was third in scoring (9.5 ppg), second in rebounding (4.2) and first in blocks (71 in 35 games) for the Rams last season. They reached the NCAA Tournament before being bounced by Saint Mary's in the first round last month.

Known for his leaping ability and 7-foot-1 wingspan, Alie-Cox became a favorite of VCU fans for highlight-reel blocked shots, a regularity that eventually caused the fans to chant "Mo Says No" each time he would reject an attempt.

The Colts made tight ends out of former basketball players Marcus Pollard and Erik Swoope, with Pollard playing 10 seasons in Indy and Swoope catching 15 passes last season.

"He (Swoope) has been there four years, so he's relatively young, so he's somebody I can relate to and learn from every day," Alie-Cox told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Former Baylor forward Rico Gathers was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as a tight end in the sixth round last year. Other college basketball players who became NFL tight ends include Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.