Before Travis Kelce became the most decorated tight end in NFL history, he was a 6-foot-5 forward playing basketball at Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland, Ohio. In his final high school game, he dropped 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, and still lost 81-71 against the Warren Harding team. But even with that as the last chapter, he’d never gone very far from the hoop, which made this week’s exercise both personal and a little painful for him.

When the Kansas City Chiefs’ Instagram handle slid into players’ DMs asking for their March Madness picks, Travis Kelce had mixed feelings. His college team just wasn’t in it.

“I got no horse in the race, unfortunately,” Kelce wrote. “Go Bearcats.”

Although his team was not in the race, his Chiefs teammates had a lot riding on March.

Duke enters the 2026 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, with a 17-2 Quadrant 1 record, and the ACC regular season title. They’ve also defeated Siena in the East Region’s Championship in round 1 on 19 March. Under head coach Jon Scheyer, this is Duke’s second consecutive No. 1 seed. Cornerback Kristian Fulton needed no further persuasion.

“I’m rocking with Duke every time!” Fulton wrote.

Defensive end George Karlaftis started at Purdue, where he led the Boilermakers in tackles-for-loss (11.5), sacks (5.0), forced fumbles (3), and quarterback hurries (8). He earned the First-team All-Big Ten honors before Kansas City selected him 30th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. His loyalty hasn’t wavered. Purdue notably enters as a No. 2 seed.

“Purdue – obviously. #BoilerUp,” Karlaftis wrote. “They might win the whole thing. If we’re being real it’s theirs to lose.”

Linebacker Nick Bolton, First-team All-SEC twice at Missouri, didn’t type a word. He dropped a Truman the Tiger sticker, his alma mater’s mascot. That was enough.

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy and linebacker Jeffrey Bassa both picked Houston independently, two endorsements for the No. 2 seed Cougars. Houston finished 29-6 overall, the reigning national runner-up entering the tournament again after losing last year’s championship game. Among all bracket entries, Houston leads the South region’s Final Four projections at 38.17%, edging out the No. 1 seed Florida.

OT Josh Simmons, the Chiefs’ 2025 first-round pick out of Ohio State, also supported his roots in all caps.

“BUCKEYES TIL IT SOUNDS LIKE A SIREN,” Simmons wrote.

Meanwhile, center Creed Humphrey, an Oklahoma product, was rooting for the Hofstra Pride, the No. 13 seed out of the CAA, placed in the Midwest Region against No. 4 seed Alabama. Hofstra went 24-10 this season, earning the CAA Championship, and is making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.

Guard Kingsley Suamataia and nose tackle Khyiris Tonga both chose their old hunting grounds of BYU, but Tonga went a step further. He actually shared a picture of a young Andy Reid suited up for BYU, and shared his pick matter-of-factly.

“BYU you know this!” Tonga wrote.

More or less, the Chiefs were all picking the places that helped them ascend the football ladder. But as a whole, this basketball-football crossover isn’t just March small talk. For one new NFL tight end, it’s the entire career path.

From a basketball court to the gridiron

Last week, Carson Towt played his final game for Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament. Days later, on Tuesday, March 17th, he signed a free agency contract with the Indianapolis Colts to play tight end, a position he had never played at any level.

Towt is 6-foot-8 and 250 pounds. He led Notre Dame in rebounding at 9.0 per game this season. The year before at Northern Arizona, he led the entire nation with 12.4 rebounds per game, earning Second-team All-Big Sky and All-Defensive Team recognition. Now, Towt believes he’s got everything he needs to succeed as a tight end.

“Just an awareness of my physical gifts that were showcased on the basketball floor,” Towt said. “I think this sport honors those things and my frame, how I developed as a player, kind of my play style and what I pride myself on.”

Interestingly, the Colts have already done this before. Mo Alie-Cox came from VCU basketball with no football experience whatsoever and is entering his 10th season in Indianapolis (he re-signed this week). Towt connected with Alie-Cox during his transition, and the veteran tight end helped him a lot in making the decision.

“You hear the story and you’re like, ‘Okay, maybe he’s in a different position,’” Towt said. “No, he actually had to start from square one, too. So, I thought that was special and can relate to that.”

Most basketball-to-NFL transitions have a poor track record. Colin Granger tried it with the Carolina Panthers last offseason and was released within a month. Antonio Gates is the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 exception – he played college basketball at Kent State, never took a college football snap, and ended up enshrined in Canton. Indy is now making this bet twice: same building, same position. Either the Colts have cracked something repeatable, or they’ve just gotten very lucky.

In the span of one week, Travis Kelce cheered for a Bearcats team that never got off the couch. Carson Towt, meanwhile, signed up for a sport he’s never played. Both these bets hinge on the same thing: the work you put in somewhere else still counts for something when the stage changes.