Riley Nowakowski has been through it all — and it's led him to Indiana

With talent littered all over the offense, some might overlook Indiana’s tight ends, but Riley Nowakowski is used to being overlooked.

It’s natural for attention to be drawn to the quarterback, running backs or wide receivers. However, Nowakowski will make sure the tight end position isn’t a weak spot, but a position Hoosier fans can count on day in and day out.

Nowakowski’s journey wasn’t typical. He’s gone from a walk-on linebacker to a sixth-year senior at the tight end position. While it hasn’t been easy, the lessons he’s learned along the way have shaped Nowakowski as a player and might even help the Hoosiers win some games.

The 6-foot-2, 243-pound tight end’s college career began in 2020 with Wisconsin at linebacker, with Nowakowski himself admitting he was undersized for the position. He was a great athlete in high school, he ran track and played basketball in addition to football, but couldn’t quite establish his footing early on with the Badgers.

This resulted in a position change, with Nowakowski transitioning to fullback per the recommendation of one of his coaches.

“We ended up having one of our fullbacks transfer, and so my coach recommended me because of the good job I’d been doing (on the offense scout team),” Nowakowski said after Wednesday’s practice.

The move occurred ahead of Nowakowski’s third season with Wisconsin, following just six games played across his first two years at linebacker. With a fresh start at a new position, Nowakowski was able to see the field in all 13 games, but also found a love for contributing to the offense through blocking.

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“I think my love for blocking initially came from playing fullback,” Nowakowski said.

With a newfound appreciation for the art of blocking, Nowakowski found a position where he felt at home. But it unfortunately didn’t last long — just one season, to be exact. When Paul Chryst was fired and Luke Fickell was hired, a new offensive scheme meant the elimination of the fullback position at Wisconsin.

“We didn’t have a fullback anymore. So they were like, hey, you can go play running back or you can play tight end. That’s the two boats you kind of fit into,” Nowakowski said. “I was just like, you know, I’m behind the curve, pretty good at blocking anyway. Like, let me just go to tight end. And then just kind of went from there. Just worked my butt off and earned that scholarship and then just kind of never looked back.”

Nowakowski ended up receiving a scholarship from Fickell. As a scholarship tight end, Nowakowski’s role on the team was completely different from what it started out as, but adjusting and overcoming change is just a part of who he is.

After two seasons as a backup tight end for the Badgers, Nowakowski found change once again, as he entered the transfer portal and landed in Bloomington with the Hoosiers. Entering his sixth season, he’s seen the game of football through the lens of three different positions and understands just how much it’s helped him.

“It’s taught me a lot about the different ways that people approach things, the different ways that I can approach things, right? So I can just kind of see, you know, like hey, when do I need to really go downhill hard? You know what I mean? Like when do I need to use a little bit more finesse? Like oh, what’s the linebacker thinking here? Like he’s taking this drop. Like where’s the open zone going to be? So I think I like playing as many positions as you can,” Nowakowski said.

In addition to his experience with multiple positions, experiencing a coaching change has allowed him to be a fast learner within Indiana’s offensive scheme. Nowakowski believes he can impress in his final collegiate season not only as an elite blocker but as a receiving threat as well.

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“I got kind of a little bit of that hard-nose downhill mentality — like a lot of gap scheme, a lot of power, all that kind of stuff. But then I feel like I have enough athleticism and enough wiggle to get open in the pass game and be a threat. You know, people don’t know, but I got a little bit of speed. So, you know, I feel like I’m a little bit of a deep threat,” he said.

Indiana’s offense has skilled players all over the field, leading many to overlook the Hoosiers’ tight ends. While Nowakowski hasn’t lit up box scores in his five years of college football, his experience should play a major factor, allowing him to not only contribute himself but make his teammates better.

Nowakowski is a high-IQ player, has been through it all and is an elite competitor. His goal is to help the team no matter what, and while he might not get talked about throughout the season, he’ll always be working as hard as he possibly can to deliver Indiana a win.

From linebacker to fullback to tight end, from walk-on to scholarship player, through coaching changes and the transfer portal, Nowakowski has been through it all. Those experiences have shaped him into the player he is today, and Indiana will reap the rewards in 2025.

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