Zak Keefer

zak.keefer@indystar.com

INDIANAPOLIS – The itch was always there, lingering, unfulfilled, because Mo Alie-Cox never got to finish what he started. He still calls football his first love even though he hasn’t strapped on a helmet in seven years.

The scouts saw it; they’ve been shuffling into basketball arenas to watch him play since his freshman season at VCU. Jason Witten saw it; the Cowboys venerable tight end took in a Rams’ basketball game two years ago, invited by a childhood friend who happens to be on the coaching staff. He pulled Alie-Cox aside afterwards, pressed his hands against Alie-Cox’s massive mits and left him with this: If you want to do it, you can do it.

It being the transition from college basketball player to professional football player.

Two years later, Alie-Cox will get his shot.

The Indianapolis Colts rolled the dice this week on what they hope to be the latest college hoops-to-NFL success story, signing Alie-Cox away from a flurry of suitors that included the Buccaneers, Chargers, Eagles, Jets and Seahawks. He arrives as a bold project, dripping in athleticism, yet, at the same time, undeniably raw. Alie-Cox hasn’t played football since his freshman year in high school. Pretty soon he’ll be practicing with Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton.

“I grew up playing football as a kid,” the 6-7, 250-pound Alie-Cox said Friday, the day his deal with the Colts became official. “I told myself if I ever have the opportunity (to play in the NFL) I’m going to take it.”

In Alie-Cox, the Colts have their third basketball-to-football convert in the past three years. Former Miami swingman Erik Swoope has successfully become a key cog in the Colts’ tight end room, improving by leaps and bounds in 2016 — so much so the Colts felt comfortable trading away Dwayne Allen and elevating Jack Doyle to the starting job this offseason.

The Colts also signed former Georgia Tech basketball player Demarco Cox to a contract in March 2015 before waiving him two months later.

If Alie-Cox can mirror Swoope’s development, the Colts would own a tantalizing tight end room.

Even the Colts' release announcing Alie-Cox's signing didn't sugarcoat his ability: "Alie-Cox possesses the athleticism," the release read, "to make the transition to football similar to Erik Swoope and (former Colts tight end) Marcus Pollard, San Diego tight end Antonio Gates and Seattle tight end Jimmy Graham."

Some pretty good players to be compared to.

But it’ll come slowly, gradually. Swoope will be the first to tell you this.

The leg up Alie-Cox will have is a background in the game; Swoope was literally starting from scratch, strapping on pads and a helmet for the first time in his life. Cox played through his freshman year in high school, and was intent on continuing. Then his parents got divorced. As a sophomore, he switched high schools after the football season started and missed the year. He switched again as a junior and missed another year. He switched again as a senior, landing at a school that didn’t have a football program.

So he kept playing basketball, became a Division I prospect and, eventually, a 1,000-point career scorer for the Rams. When the NFL called after his senior season was complete, he listened.

Time to go to work. Time to see if he can make it.

“If you watched any of our games, all they talked about was me going to the NFL,” Alie-Cox said. “After the season, I took a week off. I talked about it with my family and decided I was going to play football.”

Recruited by some teams to line up at defensive end, Alie-Cox liked the Colts’ pitch: Come play tight end, learn from Swoope, catch passes from Luck. He met Swoope this week, ate lunch with Luck and was impressed with Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who he says reminded him of the coach who recruited him to VCU, Shaka Smart.

“He talked about grit,” Alie-Cox said of Pagano. (Note to Alie-Cox: Get used to that word.)

Not to be overlooked is the factor Colts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski plays in this. Long viewed as a developer of tight end talent, Chudzinski has to be antsy at the prospect of molding Alie-Cox into a downfield weapon for his offense. He’s been vital in Swoope’s development from Day 1. Now he’s got a new project to work with.

“He sees me more of a receiving tight end, catching a lot of passes,” Alie-Cox said of his meeting with Chudzinski.

Alie-Cox said Friday a goal of his is to make the 53-man roster come August; a spot on the practice squad seems far more likely. With the addition of Brandon Williams to the tight end room in the offseason to compliment Doyle and Swoope, the pressure to produce immediately isn’t there. Alie-Cox has time.

He’ll need it.

What the Colts are looking for is development, week-to-week, season-to-season. Down the line the payoff could be immense.

“Hopefully I make the roster this year,” Alie-Cox said. “I know it’s going to take a long time to learn and get adjusted to football in general. (But) if I’m practice squad for a year (and) on the roster next year, I’m coming in here to work.”

Call IndyStar reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134. Follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.