Meet Riley Nowakowski, Indiana Football's Zach Horton Replacement Who Wants to Dominate You

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Knuckles banging and smile growing, Indiana football tight end Riley Nowakowski isn't talking about flash, but physicality.

It's the only brand of football he knows.

"After the ball is snapped, it's just, 'Hit that guy harder than he hits me,'" Nowakowski said Wednesday. "And just run through him until I can't run through him anymore."

In an offensive era where some tight ends are glorified wide receivers, Nowakowski has old-school tendencies.

The Milwaukee native was an all-state linebacker in 2019 as a high school senior. Undersized and lowly recruited, he walked on at Wisconsin, but the Badgers had three linebackers above him in his class alone, including now-Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig.

During practice, Nowakowski rarely played his actual position. He was on the scout team, and during individual periods, he played offense to give the starters representative looks. He excelled.

After repeating the same cycle for a year-and-a-half, Nowakowski's first break came before the 2022 season, when Wisconsin's fullback transferred. Nowakowski, who impressed as the scout team fullback, transitioned to offense at the recommendation of one of his coaches.

He no longer had to think about or process a complicated defensive system. His mind free, Nowakowski quickly fell in love with the simplicity — and physicality — of fullback and the blocking requirements that accompany it.

"When they moved me to fullback, it was just like, 'Hey, run at the end man on the line and just kick him out.' It's what football's all about," Nowakowski said. "Just run as fast as you can and kick him out. In the Big Ten, there's a lot less finesse players. A lot of guys are just going to sit there and try and set the edge.

"So, it's just kind of like me versus him — who's going to be tougher? Who's going to hit harder? That's kind of where I got that love for it. It's just mano a mano, let's just get to it. I think that played a really big role in my love for it."

Still a walk-on at this point, Nowakowski's stock in the program began taking off. He'd played only 22 snaps as a true freshman, all on special teams, and played 16 snaps in 2021 — including his first taste of offense, earning seven snaps in the Badgers' bowl game.

As the team's fullback in 2022, Nowakowski saw the field for 120 offensive snaps, 97 of which came on running plays, according to Pro Football Focus.

But Wisconsin struggled. The Badgers fired coach Paul Chryst after a 2-3 start, and his replacement, Luke Fickell, brought in offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who runs an air raid system that eliminates the fullback.

Wisconsin's new staff told Nowakowski to play either running back or tight end. He peered at the running back depth chart and saw one of the nation's best players, now-New York Jets runner Braelon Allen, and complementary ballcarrier Chez Mellusi.

Already behind the curve at running back, Nowakowski felt his blocking acumen translated well to tight end. So, he "worked his butt off," which resulted in an invitation to Fickell's office.

When Fickell slid a piece of paper across a desk, Nowakowski thought it was a notice of his release. He had already mentally prepared to call his parents and tell them he was off the team. He ultimately did have reason to call — but with better news.

He'd earned a scholarship and, he says, "never looked back."

Nowakowski is no stranger to Memorial Stadium. He's already caught two passes for 31 yards, as he and the Badgers faced the Hoosiers in 2023. Indiana won 20-14, its lone Big Ten win of the season and perhaps the highlight of a 3-9 campaign.

But the Hoosiers' environment or play style didn't leave a lasting impression on Nowakowski. Indiana's 2024 turnaround under coach Curt Cignetti did.

Nowakowski watched the Hoosiers' success last season from afar, and he liked the heights Indiana reached. He admitted he didn't know what to expect with Cignetti, a brazen, outspoken coach who turned heads — including Nowakowski's — with his comments in the media.

But Nowakowski had multiple contacts to consult with prior to committing to Indiana in December. Right tackle Trey Wedig, now with the Los Angeles Rams, and right guard Drew Evans each played with Nowakowski at Wisconsin.

Nowakowski first spoke with Wedig, who played an integral role in his decision, but only briefly, as Wedig was game-planning Indiana's College Football Playoff opener against Notre Dame. Nowakowski committed Dec. 18, two days before the Hoosiers' playoff loss, but later shared a lengthy conversation with Wedig to confirm his decision.

Nowakowski wanted to feel out the program and understand the day-to-day life, style of coaches and overall mentality he'd be joining in Bloomington. Official visits can only offer so much of an indication.

But after talking with Wedig, the 6-foot-2, 249-pound Nowakowski had no reservations, and he hit the ground running. When he arrived in the winter, he joined quarterback transfers Fernando Mendoza and Grant Wilson in the team's coaching offices each day, learning installations and trying to master a new system.

It resulted in a positive early impression on Cignetti, kickstarting a relationship rooted in mutual respect. During spring practice, Cignetti said Nowakowski "brings his lunch pail every day," and he's carried the momentum into fall camp.

"Just a real smart, hard-working guy," Cignetti said. "You know what you're going to get from an effort and preparation standpoint day-in, day-out, consistency. He's going to be a valuable member of the offense."

Indiana's coaching staff showed Nowakowski film of last year's starting tight end, Zach Horton, to give him a better idea of his role. Horton played 688 snaps last season, and 538 came as an in-line tight end. Horton played 78.2% of his snaps in-line last season. Nowakowski played 78.3%.

"That was a big part of my recruitment process," Nowakowski said. "We have a similar build and similar play style. So, that was a big draw — (tight end) coach (Grant) Cain told me, 'You fit this role really well.'"

Horton, who signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent this spring, caught 21 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns last season. He was often an unsung hero on a team full of breakout stars.

That's more than fine for Nowakowski, who started nine of 12 games for the Badgers last season and set career highs with 11 catches for 74 yards. In two seasons at tight end, he's logged 18 receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown.

Yet he was a team captain in 2024. With his background at linebacker and fullback, Nowakowski carries a "hard-nosed, downhill mentality," he said, which lends itself to physicality, fearlessness and the type of player a team rallies behind.

But he cautions opposing defenses not to overlook his pass-catching skills.

"I feel I have enough athleticism and wiggle to get open in the pass game and to be a threat," Nowakowski said, smiling. "People don't know, but I got a little bit of speed. I feel like I'm a little bit of a deep threat."

Nowakowski often consults with Mendoza immediately after plays during practice to learn what his quarterback saw. Nowakowski said receivers and quarterbacks have to know what one another is thinking to click at the highest level on gamedays.

But Nowakowski does the same with offensive linemen, be it the starters, backups or third-stringers. When Mendoza treated the offensive linemen to St. Elmo's Steak House two weeks back, he brought Nowakowski.

"I feel like tight end is an extension of the O-line," Nowakowski said. "I really take a lot of pride in my relationship with my tackles, because we're working with them all the time. I like to make sure I have a good relationship ... just that when we're out there, we're communicating, I know I can trust them and they can trust me.

"If one of us gets a call wrong, we can correct each other and know who we're playing with and feel that connection."

Playing linebacker requires high-level communication skills, but it also taught Nowakowski a greater lesson about football. Since he's been immersed into both sides of the line of scrimmage, he understands the methods behind the concepts and the different ways he can approach specific plays.

It gives him a unique perspective few others can grasp.

"When do I need to really go downhill hard? When do I need to use a little bit more finesse? What's the linebacker thinking here? He's taking this drop, where's the open zone going to be?" Nowakowski said. "I think playing as many positions as you can — obviously you've got to be focused on what you want to do — but being open to changing positions or filling a need somewhere, I think that's a great thing."

Now entering Year 6 of college football, Nowakowski is seasoned, level-headed and desperate to win. The most successful year he's been part of came in 2021, when the Badgers went 9-4, but it was also the season in which he played the least.

Indiana has College Football Playoff aspirations. Nowakowski may not be the face of the Hoosiers' postseason push, but he'll be an integral glue stick to maintaining efficiency in both the run and pass game.

And he plans on making opponents feel his presence this fall.

"It's me versus the man across from me," Nowakowski said, "and I'm trying to dominate him."

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