CFB Zeitgeist Score
67
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by rec yards at the 77th percentile.
Riley Nowakowski
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
387 REC YDS · 32 REC · 2 REC TD
Where He Ended Up · NFL
Pittsburgh2026 NFL rookie season
#169Rd 5 · Pick 29
Pittsburgh2026 NFL rookie season
TE · INDIANA · BIG TEN
Riley Nowakowski
- 4
- #37
- 6-2 | 243 lb
- Milwaukee, WI
Heisman Heat
#2209
<1% win probability
Fan Belief
Awaiting
Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.
Respect Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
Reality Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
ACCOLADE PROBABILITY
Heisman
<1%
TOP TE AWARD
Mackey
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR07 · Impact starter
Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career arc · Season-by-season Standing
3 seasons on the ladder
2023
Wisconsin · TE
—
2024
Wisconsin · TE
—
★
2025
Indiana · TE
R09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
Recognized
NFL Draft 2026 · Rd 5, Pick 29 · #169 overall · Pittsburgh
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2023–2025+579%
Up 579% from first season to most-recent.
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
R5 · #169
Identity & Role
The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.
Recruiting Pedigree
How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.
| Class | Profile | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No recruiting profile is on file for this player. | ||
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No transfer portal moves on file for this player. | ||
Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final
Where the player landed at the end of the listed season — final nowcast rank, win/finalist/ballot probabilities, and the cleanest official Heisman placement on file.
HIGH CONFIDENCE· through week 16Heisman Futures
Not yet listed on major futures markets.
Achievements
- Program Benchmark 5.5% Program Benchmark Season leader for the program at the player's position across the headline volume metric (passing yards / rushing yards / receiving yards). Held by 5.5% of the 2025 pool. Team leader in receiving yards (387).
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft
Market value, pedigree & pro outcome
NFL Draft
2026 · Rd 5, Pick 29
#169 overall · Pittsburgh
Today’s Hot-Take
The Hot-Take engine fires when this player’s percentile profile crosses a defensible threshold (top 10% in a cohort, 100+ snap sample). When it’s quiet, the model is honoring its “must be defensible” rule.
Anti-Take
PENDINGThe contrarian read fires when the rules-engine detects a stat that complicates the Hot-Take. Quiet here means the model hasn’t found a defensible counter yet — not that one doesn’t exist.
The Room on Riley Nowakowski
Fan sentiment ·
Belief Meter
50
Mixed Sentiment
Top Take
“”
Trajectory
Per-cohort trajectory lands when historical bucket data is aggregated.
Cohort divergence map
- Own fans · n=2
- Rivals · n=2
- National · n=2
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about Riley Nowakowski
Only 2 rival mention(s) — below the 4-mention floor for a defensible read.
2025 Signature · 2025 season
Yards per reception
12.1
yds
All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions
National rank #286 of 531
Percentile vs All FBS WRs, min 20 receptions 46th
Why it matters
#286 of 531 All FBS WRs at 12.1 yards per reception (32 catches).
Vs cohort
This player 12.1 (46th)
HIGH · n=32 cohort 531
- Also strong
- Receiving yards (total)#312 / 531
- Receiving TDs#302 / 531
Signature Moment
Week 12 vs Wisconsin — 65 ypr
Result W 31-7
The week the volume broke through — put up 65 yds vs Wisconsin.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the receiving totals stand
Through 14g
387Rec yards
32Receptions
2Rec TDs
Per game
27.6Rec yards
2Receptions
0Rec TDs
Final
387Rec yards
32Receptions
2Rec TDs
Why the honors trail matters
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
The useful clue on this card is not just the Heisman rank, but the broader honors spine. Riley Nowakowski already has 1 loaded recognition item, which helps distinguish a player who is merely productive from one who is already earning selector-level validation.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
TE season snapshot
2025 season snapshot | final
2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Player identity What kind of player is this?
30-second read
What kind of player is this?
Target magnet against FBS receiving peers.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Receiving
REC
32 91st
YDS
387 92nd
YPR
12.1 75th
TD
2 84th
Rushing
CAR
2 68th
YDS
2 43rd
YPC
1.0 40th
TD
2 98th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 14 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-14vs Old Dominion | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 2 | W 56-9vs Kennesaw State | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 4 | W 63-10vs Illinois | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | 1 | 43 | |
| Wk 5 | W 20-15@ Iowa | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 7 | W 30-20@ Oregon | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 8 | W 38-13vs Michigan State | 3 | 54 | 18.0 | 0 | 39 | |
| Wk 9 | W 56-6vs UCLA | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 6 | |
| Wk 10 | W 55-10@ Maryland | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 11 | W 27-24@ Penn State | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 0 | 29 | |
| Wk 12 | W 31-7vs Wisconsin | 4 | 65 | 16.3 | 1 | 37 | Season-high 65 yds |
| Wk 15 | W 13-10@ Ohio State | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Bowl | W 38-3vs Alabama | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 0 | 31 | |
| Bowl | W 56-22vs Oregon | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 13 | |
| Bowl | W 27-21vs Miami | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 9 | |
| Total | 32 | 387 | 12.8 | 2 | 43 |
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score
Traditional history
Traditional Stats
Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.
Season context · Team result + system
2023Wisconsin7-6HC: Luke Fickell · Balanced
2024Wisconsin5-7HC: Luke Fickell · Run-leaning
2025Indiana16-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
The tight end's share of the passing offense, which helps distinguish a featured receiving tight end from a secondary option.
A blended usage view that shows how often the offense flows through the tight end compared with other same-level peers.
Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.
The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.
Open full stat explorer
| Group | Metric | Value | Rank | Pct | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving | Receptions | 32 | #42/475 | 91st pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving yards | 387 | #40/475 | 92nd pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving TD | 2 | #79/475 | 84th pct | Scoringvs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Yards / catch | 12.1 | #119/475 | 75th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Pass share | 9.4% | #106/468 | 78th pct | Air-game usagevs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Carries | 2 | #20/59 | 68th pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Rush TD | 2 | #2/62 | 98th pct | Scoringvs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Rushing yards | 2 | #31/53 | 43rd pct | Volumevs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Rushing LONG | 1 | #39/50 | 24th pct | Metricvs FBS TE |
| Rushing | Yards / carry | 1.0 | #33/53 | 40th pct | Efficiencyvs FBS TE |
| Receiving | Receiving LONG | 43 | #59/475 | 88th pct | Metricvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Passing-down usage | 5.0% | #147/468 | 69th pct | Known-passing sharevs FBS TE |
| Usage | Role share | 3.9% | #131/468 | 72nd pct | Share of team offensevs FBS TE |
| Usage | 1st-down usage | 3.7% | #149/468 | 68th pct | Early-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | 2nd-down usage | 3.7% | #211/468 | 55th pct | Middle-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | 3rd-down usage | 3.6% | #209/468 | 56th pct | Money-down loadvs FBS TE |
| Usage | Standard-down usage | 3.5% | #168/468 | 64th pct | Base-situation sharevs FBS TE |
| Usage | Rush share | 0.2% | #54/468 | 89th pct | Ground-game usagevs FBS TE |
Player Standing
Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.
ALL-CONF HM
On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex
ALL-CONF HM · Rung 9 of 16
Why he’s here
All-Conference honorable mention / 2nd team — the recognition has started.
What moves him up
A best-at-position run lifts to 1st team.
What moves him down
A back-end conference finish drops out of the honor list.
Accolade streams
Status—Awaiting tracker
The Mackey award tracker integrates per-week probability once a dedicated scraper for this award lands. Confirmed past winners and finalists for this player will surface here.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 14 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home9g | 2.3 | 31.0 | 14.9 | 0.2 |
| Road5g | 2.2 | 21.6 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins14g | 2.3 | 27.6 | 12.8 | 0.1 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-78g | 1.9 | 19.8 | 12.7 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 2.8 | 38.2 | 13.0 | 0.2 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
67Solid starter
Elite: rush tds (92nd).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · TE · 2024
Percentile Card
Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.
P4G5All FBS
Advanced Savant
Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.
Advanced opponent-adjusted metrics are coming soon for this player. Selected cohort: P4.
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
Riley NowakowskiIndianaJyrin JohnsonBowling Green· 91% simJett CarpenterNevada· 91% simHunter TiptonMiddle Tennessee· 86% sim
Rush TDs
Rec yards
Receptions
Yards / catch
Long catch
Rec TDs
Rush yards
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Complete TE
Dual-threat: blocks when needed, catches when needed. Coveted on both sides.
TE
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tyrick James’s 2021 season.
Tyrick James
82%match
#2
Tyler Neville
78%
#3
Justin Ford
70%
#4
Dylan Wade
68%
#5
Lance Mason
All-Big Ten
60%
Matches Tyrick on
EPA / play (adj)
Reception volume
Height
Differs from Tyrick on
TD rate (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Treyton Welch's senior season at Wyoming (2023).
Treyton Welch
79%match
#2
Bru McCoy
77%
#3
Josh Cuevas
NFL Rd 5
74%
#4
Lance Mason
All-Big Ten
67%
#5
Bryce Kennon
72%
Matches Treyton on
Weight
Total EPA (college ability)
Height
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Curt Cignetti
Pass share
38.7%
404 pass / 641 run
Plays / game
65.3
16 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
7.3%
275 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
2 coaches2023
Tom Allen
Indiana
2024era →
Curt Cignetti
Indiana
2025
Curt Cignetti
Indiana
Coaching transition mid-career: Tom Allen → Curt Cignetti. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownMilwaukee, WI
Height6'2"
Weight243 lb
Class4
PositionTE
Jersey37
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamIndiana
ConferenceBig Ten
Joined2025
Career arc5 season(s)
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🎖
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
1 all-conference honor
Conference-level recognition helps anchor whether a player is merely statistically loud or actually viewed as elite within his competitive lane.
Honors Timeline
Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.
| Season | Honor | Scope | Team / Selector | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | All-Big Ten | all_conference | Indiana | Big Ten | TE |
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wisconsin | TE4 | #2209 | #2800 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Big Ten |
| 2023 | Wisconsin | TE4 | #2175 | #2234 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Big Ten |
| 2022 | Wisconsin | TE4 | #3520 | #3429 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Big Ten |
| 2021 | Wisconsin | TE4 | #3399 | #3312 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | Big Ten |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Indiana | Big Ten | TE | 4 | No. 37 | 6-2 | 243 lb | Milwaukee, WI |
| 2024 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | TE | 4 | No. 37 | 6-2 | 243 lb | Milwaukee, WI |
| 2023 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | TE | 4 | No. 37 | 6-2 | 243 lb | Milwaukee, WI |
| 2022 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | TE | 4 | No. 37 | 6-2 | 243 lb | Milwaukee, WI |
| 2021 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | TE | 4 | No. 37 | 6-2 | 243 lb | Milwaukee, WI |