How Indiana Football TE Riley Nowakowski Became One of Curt Cignetti's Most Unique Players

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Riley Nowakowski stood in the southeast corner of Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, his arms stretched wide, his eyes plastered on the sold-out crowd he’d just made rise to its feet.

Nowakowski savored the immediate aftermath of his 21-yard touchdown in No. 2 Indiana football’s 31–7 win over Wisconsin on Nov. 15. So did Nowakowski’s teammates, who knew what that moment, that play, meant to the sixth-year senior tight end who spent the first five years of his college career with the Badgers.

“Since the day I entered the portal, I've kind of been hoping and dreaming for that,” Nowakowski said Tuesday. “So, that was a really big, cool moment. Parents were able to see that. That was awesome.”

Senior running back Roman Hemby and redshirt junior left tackle Carter Smith were the first to embrace Nowakowski in the endzone, followed by senior tight end Holden Staes. The celebration stretched to Indiana’s sideline, where sophomore receiver Charlie Becker relished one of his favorite plays as a Hoosier.

“I was so hyped on the sideline,” Becker said postgame. “That was one of the best, most hype moments I've ever been (part of) is seeing Riley score. Riley's one of the best guys I've ever met. He's a really genuine person and seeing be able to get in the box against his former team, I was so happy for him.”

The play itself illustrated everything Indiana coach Curt Cignetti appreciates about Nowakowski.

The 6-foot-1, 249-pound Nowakowski took his spot as a traditionally aligned “Y” tight end, serving as an additional blocker on the line of scrimmage. He helped sell the Hoosiers’ play action pass by blocking Wisconsin defensive end Mason Reiger, the team’s second-leading sack artist, before slipping into an open space over the middle.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza found Nowakowski, who ran toward the sideline, cut upfield and broke two tackle attempts — one a dive at his lower body, the other a hand on his helmet — before sprinting into the endzone and finding the spotlight for his long-awaited celebration.

“I've never seen a guy catch more short passes and turn them into long gains as him,” Cignetti said on the Inside IU Football radio show Nov. 13, a sentiment he reiterated one week later. “That guy, every time he catches a short pass, it turns into a long gain.”

Nowakowski was an all-state linebacker as a high school senior in 2019, but he also played running back before walking on to Wisconsin’s roster. His breakthrough came as a fullback in 2022.

When the Badgers made a coaching change that eliminated the fullback position after the 2022 season, their new staff gave Nowakowski the liberty to play either running back or tight end. Wisconsin had a pair of NFL ball-carriers in Braelon Allen and Isaac Guerendo, prompting Nowakowski to choose tight end.

And while Nowakowski enjoys blocking, he relishes the opportunity to channel his inner running back each time he catches a pass, which has generated the explosive run-after-catch gains he’s made this season.

“I always told people I'm more of a running back anyways,” Nowakowski said, smiling. “I ended up moving to tight end and blocking a little bit. But I like to think I still got a little something in the tank. I like to think I got a little bit of vision from that.”

Nowakowski enjoyed the most productive game of his career against Wisconsin, setting new personal bests with four catches for 65 yards while scoring his third receiving touchdown in his 50th appearance.

Entering this season, Nowakowski had only 18 career receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown. Through the first 11 games of his Hoosier career, Nowakowski has registered 23 catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns while adding a one-yard rushing score in Week 2 against Kennesaw State.

Much of Nowakowski’s success has been as a runner after securing passes from Mendoza — he’s gained 188 of his 296 yards after the catch, according to Pro Football Focus. Three of Nowakowski’s receptions have turned into gains of 37 yards or more.

Cignetti said Nowakowski has done a “nice job” as a blocker, too. Pro Football Focus gives him a 72.5 run blocking grade, and across 98 snaps in pass protection, he’s allowed only one sack and one quarterback hurry.

Indiana brought in Nowakowski to replace Zach Horton, an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2024 who’s now on the Detroit Lions practice squad. Cignetti feels there’s no doubt Nowakowski has picked up where Horton left off, in large part, Indiana tight ends coach Grant Cain said, because they share a similar mindset.

“There's a relentlessness to them,” Cain said Sept. 18 on the Inside IU Football radio show. “They're intense. They love physical contact. They take pride in their blocking and playing with good pad level. And they're versatile.

“You can hand the ball off to them. You can get them out on a route. You can ask them to block a defensive end or ask them to block a corner. It's not going to matter. They're up for the challenge, and they have the ability to do it.”

On-field value aside, Nowakowski has emerged as one of Indiana’s unquestioned leaders. He’s been a game captain in seven of the Hoosiers’ last nine contests.

Cignetti feels Nowakowski is an unsung hero, a steady presence who leads by example and has made his mark as a tone-setting culture piece during the Hoosiers’ 11-0 start.

“Riley's one of our most dependable players,” Cignetti said Oct. 23. “He's a great leader. He leads through his actions. He doesn't talk a lot, but that's the best way to lead is through your actions. He's very consistent. He's smart. He's a very smart, dependable player.

“And he'll be a huge success someday when his football career is over.”

But Nowakowski, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Wisconsin in industrial engineering and is now pursuing a certificate in business analytics from Indiana, doesn’t plan on his college career ending anytime soon.

The Hoosiers (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) face Purdue (2-9, 0-8 Big Ten) at 7:30 p.m. Friday inside Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. With a win, Indiana secures a trip to the Big Ten Championship game Dec. 6 in Indianapolis — the first step in a postseason the Hoosiers hope includes a deep run in the College Football Playoff.

Perhaps Nowakowski’s immediate future includes more endzone celebrations, more broken tackles and more explosive plays.

But no matter his box score productivity, he’ll continue impacting games as a blocker and fabric-setting locker room presence — a blend of characteristics that have made him a “high-quality transfer” addition to the Cignetti-led Hoosiers.

“He's done a great job this year,” Cignetti said. “No question about that.”