Riley Nowakowski doesn’t enjoy the spotlight. It’s not what he’s built for, he says.
But when Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti dialed up a fullback dive in the national championship game Jan. 19, the tight end had no choice but to take center stage. He rumbled in the end zone to score the game’s first touchdown and give the Hoosiers a 10-0 lead.
Nowakowski couldn’t enjoy the feat too much in the moment. He followed the Cignetti mindset, turning his attention to the next play. After Cream and Crimson confetti rained down on the field and the Hoosiers smoked cigars in their locker room, he received texts celebrating his 1-yard score.
“So, I got to reflect on it, and it was something they can't take away from me,” Nowakowski said Feb. 26 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. “Not a lot of people score a touchdown in a national championship game, so, it was very cool.”
And not many Division I college football players earn an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine — just 319 of over 18,000. But Nowakowski was one of the few, and one of nine Hoosiers, to attend the event.
Nowakowski went through all positional drills and testing except for the 20-yard shuttle, the three-cone drill and bench press.
He ran a 4.66-second 40-yard dash and a 1.7 10-yard split, while also notching a 33.5-inch vertical and 6-foot-11-inch broad jump. In all, Nowakowski checked in as the 20th-best tight end at the combine, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
He didn’t rank as a marquee transfer portal addition last offseason, either.
After spending his first two collegiate seasons as a linebacker at Wisconsin, Nowakowski transitioned to fullback for the Badgers. Another position change followed two years later: tight end.
Nowakowski made 18 receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown across his final two seasons in Madison. He had what he called five “mediocre at best” seasons at Wisconsin before transferring to Indiana.
When Nowakowski first became a Hoosier, a trip to the NFL combine seemed unlikely. A pro career seemed unlikely, too.
Still, he put his head down and worked, he said. Nowakowski began developing chemistry with Fernando Mendoza during spring practice. He soon learned the eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is particular.
Oftentimes, Mendoza would stop Nowakowski if he wasn’t positioned in the correct place. All the spot catches Nowakowski did for Mendoza throughout the offseason paid off.
Nowakowski turned in his best season in his only one in Bloomington. He notched 32 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns, plus running for two touchdowns.
While he didn’t receive many pass-catching opportunities for much of his collegiate career, he made the most of them at Indiana. He “always knew” he had the ability — he just had to prove it.
A combine invite followed.
"I've always believed in myself,” he said. “I always thought I could (reach the combine). My parents always believed in me too, so it's definitely, I always knew that there's an avenue for it to happen.”
While he had newfound success at Indiana, Nowakowski doesn’t perfectly translate to the NFL in terms of physical traits. Nowakowski’s measurables are like fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who’s served in a valuable role for the San Francisco 49ers throughout the last nine seasons.
Juszczyk has lined up as a tight end, fullback, wide receiver and running back throughout his 49ers career. Nowakowski said he’d “feel comfortable” in such a role, although they aren’t present in every offensive scheme.
And he also thinks he could “definitely” produce in a similar position because of his experience playing both tight end and fullback in college. While he put together his best statistical receiving season at Indiana, Nowakowski was a valuable piece blocking-wise.
Stylistically, he said he’s both a physical and versatile player due to his experience as a true tight end, and as an H-back — a pass-catcher who is also a lead blocker on running plays — when the Hoosiers deployed heavy 12 personnel.
Exceptional blockers don’t often earn much of the glory when their teams are successful. However, they enable the skill-position players — quarterback, running back and receiver — to gain yardage and score touchdowns.
But Nowakowski earned such praise from Mendoza and Cignetti throughout the Hoosiers’ season for his ability to create holes for running backs.
“I just enjoy moving a man against his will,” Nowakowski said. “That’s something that I’ve always enjoyed, whether it’s carrying the rock and blowing somebody up or getting to block them now.”
Although Nowakowski’s fit may vary with different teams’ offensive style, his mentality won’t.
Over the course of his journey across positions and schools to attain his NFL goals, his work ethic has shone through — one that he best described as a “lunch pail, hard hat” kind.
“That’s what my parents raised me on,” he said. “But know that it’s tried and true, and that I’ve been through a bigger stage, been through that adversity.”
Nowakowski may not reach the same spotlight he did during the national championship at Indiana. Still, he’s going to do whatever he can to help his future team reach the promised land just like he did with the Hoosiers.
“Whoever is willing to pick me up,” he said, “I’ll give them my all.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
