BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball forward Carson Williams successfully completed his transition to the gridiron Monday by signing a free agent deal with the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders.
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Williams, who played his final two seasons of college basketball for the Hilltoppers, began training for a professional football career in March.
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He participated in WKU Football's Pro Day last month, where he opened eyes with measurements that included a 38-inch vertical and a 4.73 second 40-yard dash.
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The 6-foot-5, 240-pound native of Owenton, Ky., and former 2016 Kentucky Mr. Basketball is signing with the Raiders as a tight end.
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He follows in the footsteps of WKU Basketball great George Fant, who was a standout on the hardwood for four years for the Tops, played one season of football with WKU as a tight end, then signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent offensive lineman in 2016. Fant signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the New York Jets in 2020.
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Williams scored 1,388 points in his college basketball career across his time at Northern Kentucky and WKU. In his two years of playing time on The Hill, he averaged 10.9 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 52.9% from the field.
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Williams was named to the All-Conference USA Third Team in the 2019-20 season and has been honored for his academic excellence by C-USA and CoSIDA.
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