Panthers sign basketball player Colin Granger as TE prospect

David NewtonApr 7, 2025, 01:01 PM ET

CloseDavid Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers on Monday signed a big project to develop as a tight end.

Big as in 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds.

Former Division I basketball player Colin Granger will begin his journey into football after five years of playing college basketball at Ohio, Western Carolina and Coastal Carolina this season.

Colin Granger has signed with the Panthers as a tight end prospect after five years playing Division I basketball, most recently for Coastal Carolina. Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Because he is five years removed from high school, he was available to sign as a free agent. He was eligible to be drafted by any team last year.

He will compete for playing time with Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Jordan Matthews, James Mitchell and Dominique Dafney.

This is not the first time that Carolina coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan have been a part of an experiment with a former basketball player. Both were in Seattle when the Seahawks signed former Western Kentucky basketball and football player George Fant (6-5, 315 pounds) to be a hybrid tackle/tight end.

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Fant has played seven seasons with Seattle, the New York Jets and the Houston Texans. Fant has been working with Granger and told the Panthers about him.

The difference is Granger hasn’t played football since the eighth grade.

The Panthers are hoping Granger will follow in the footsteps of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham and others who have gone from college basketball to the NFL as successful tight ends.

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