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Former Wisconsin tight end calls out Badgers coaching staff for overlooking him

Now thriving on his new team, a former Badgers tight end called out the Wisconsin coaching staff for not believing in him as much as his current coaches.
Lorin Cox|
Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski (37) has had a career year after transferring away from the Wisconsin Badgers.
Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski (37) has had a career year after transferring away from the Wisconsin Badgers. | RIch Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Leaving the Wisconsin Badgers has proved to be fruitful for a few transfers who have left in recent years.

Tight end Riley Nowakowski is among those feeling more appreciated on his new team than he did from the Wisconsin coaching staff.

As Indiana prepares for the Rose Bowl against Alabama on New Year's Day, the Hoosiers top tight end publicly called out his "old school" for not giving him the opportunities he's getting under coach Curt Cignetti.

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"They definitely saw a lot more in me than a lot of other staffs," Nowakowski said. "Personally, I feel like the staff at my old school didn't see a whole ton in me."

He was originally a three-star recruit for Wisconsin in the 2020 class coming out of Marquette University High School in Milwaukee.

Paul Chryst's staff recruited him, but he did not have any receptions in his first three years in Madison.

Luke Fickell came in for the 2023 season and gave Nowakowski a bigger role, including his first career receiving touchdown against Minnesota.

Related: Latest Wisconsin Badgers starter entering transfer portal leaves big hole at tight end

He saw even more playing time in 2024 but still only recorded 11 catches for 74 yards. He entered the portal that winter seeking a better opportunity, and he found it at Indiana.

"I think just throughout our time here, they told me I was going to be involved in the pass game," Nowakowski said. "That was a big thing for me coming out of Wisconsin, having a lot of receiving yards."

Now on the No. 1 team in the country, he put up 23 catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns in his final collegiate season.

The Badgers have gone the opposite direction since he left. That also makes it easier for him to appreciate where he is now compared to where he came from.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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