#37

Riley Nowakowski

Former tight end at Indiana. 2025: 32 catches, 387 receiving yards, 2 TD.

TE · Indiana · Sr. · #37

6′2″ · 243 lb · Milwaukee, WI

CFB Index 61 · #41 of 156 TEsMedium-low confidenceAll-ConferenceDrafted by Pittsburgh — Rd 5, Pick 29, #169 overall

How he plays

Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.

Catch rate: 97th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

387

receiving yards · 2025

32 catches · 2 TD · 12.1 per catch

Best game: 1 rec, 43 yds, 1 TD, vs Illinois

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former tight end at Indiana. 2025: 32 catches, 387 receiving yards, 2 TD.

Transferred from Wisconsin to Indiana in 2025.
Drafted round 5 by the Pittsburgh in 2026.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Indiana, 518 receiving yards — drafted at #169 overall by Pittsburgh.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

The week the volume broke through — put up 65 yds vs Wisconsin.Wisconsin · W 31-72025

202514 games

Entered the portal
All-Big Tensecond

2026

Drafted by Pittsburghround 5, pick 169

Career arc

Recruit

—

No recruit profile

CFB

College

2 teams

2020–2025

NFL

NFL Draft

R5 · #169

Pittsburgh · 2026

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🎖

ALL-BIG TEN · 2ND TEAM

All-Big Ten 2nd team (2025)

Coaching lineage · 2020–2025

2 coaches

2020

Tom Allen

Indiana

2023

Tom Allen

Indiana

2024–2025

Curt Cignetti

Indiana

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Tom Allen → Curt Cignetti. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

Pittsburgh2026 NFL rookie season

#169Rd 5 · Pick 29

Pittsburgh2026 NFL rookie season

View college career stats ↓

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Wisconsin4-3HC: Paul Chryst · Run-heavy, fast tempo

2023Wisconsin7-6HC: Luke Fickell · Balanced

2024Wisconsin5-7HC: Luke Fickell · Run-leaning

2025Indiana16-0HC: Curt Cignetti · Run-heavy

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

61Quality starter #41 of 156?

Medium-low confidenceAscending12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: catch rate (97th percentile). Strength: rush tds (92nd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Catch rate#25 / 798 · 97th pct

88.9%

Explosive rate#205 / 798 · 74th pct

13.9%

EPA / target#244 / 798 · 69th pct

0.54

TD rate#357 / 798 · 55th pct

2.8%

Yards / catch#370 / 798 · 54th pct

11.8

Box-score rates (7)

Rush TDs#2 / 33 · 92nd pct

Rec yards#40 / 175 · 77th pct

387

Receptions#42 / 175 · 75th pct

Yards / catch#49 / 175 · 71st pct

12.1

Long catch#53 / 175 · 69th pct

Rec TDs#76 / 175 · 43rd pct

Rush yards#18 / 33 · 42nd pct

Season trend

EPA / target— first qualifying season

Explosive rate— first qualifying season

Catch rate— first qualifying season

TD rate— first qualifying season

Yards / catch— first qualifying season

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)

Third-down role

17%6 of his 36 targets came on third down · TE median is 22%

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 14 games

Home/Road · Season halves

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

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

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Curt Cignetti

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

61 · #41 of 156 TEs

Unranked recruit. Now #41 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Indiana	32	387	12.1	2	--
2024	Wisconsin	11	74	6.7	0	--
2023	Wisconsin	7	57	8.1	1	--
2020	Wisconsin	--	--	--	--	--
Career		50	518	10.4	3	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 15 · 2025

W 13–10

at Ohio State

2 rec · 20 yds

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.

With F. Mendoza — 222 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 90.2 · -3 rush yds (5 car) · C. Becker — 6 rec · 126 yds

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 8 · Michigan State · 2&17 · Q2 · EPA +4.02Fernando Mendoza pass complete to Riley Nowakowski for 39 yds to the MSU 24 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · Illinois · 1&15 · Q2 · EPA +3.94Fernando Mendoza pass complete to Riley Nowakowski for 43 yds for a TD (Nico Radicic KICK)
Week 1 · Alabama · 3&8 · Q3 · EPA +3.71(01:22) Shotgun #15 F.Mendoza pass complete short left to #37 R.Nowakowski caught at IND31, for 31 yards to the ALA42 (#2 Z.Brown), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
Week 10 · Maryland · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -2.77(00:28) Shotgun #15 F.Mendoza pass complete short right to #37 R.Nowakowski caught at UMD41, for 11 yards to the UMD42 (#32 C.Smith; #23 K.Flowers) PENALTY IND Holding (#65 C.Smith) 10 yards from IND47 to IND37. NO PLAY
Week 12 · Wisconsin · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.63(04:50) Shotgun #15 F.Mendoza pass complete short middle to #37 R.Nowakowski caught at WIS15, for 21 yards to the WIS00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 04:44, 1ST DOWN #15 N.Radicic kick attempt good (H: #44 M.McCarthy, LS: #47 M.Langston)
Week 11 · Penn State · 2&10 · Q4 · EPA +2.57Shotgun #15 F.Mendoza pass complete deep middle to #37 R.Nowakowski caught at PSU28, for 29 yards to the PSU24 (#16 K.Mack), 1ST DOWN
Week 2 · Kennesaw State · 3&1 · Q1 · EPA +2.45Riley Nowakowski run for 1 yd for a TD (Nico Radicic KICK)
Week 1 · Miami · 3&1 · Q2 · EPA +2.45(06:07) #37 R.Nowakowski rush middle for 1 yard gain to the Miami00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 06:13 #15 N.Radicic kick attempt good (H: #44 M.McCarthy, LS: #47 M.Langston)
Week 12 · Wisconsin · 2&5 · Q2 · EPA +2.31(02:00) Shotgun #15 F.Mendoza pass complete short middle to #37 R.Nowakowski caught at IND40, for 37 yards to the WIS21 (#9 A.Brown), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
Week 15 · Ohio State · 4&2 · Q2 · EPA +2.18(06:27) Shotgun #15 F.Mendoza pass complete short right to #37 R.Nowakowski caught at OSU37, for 9 yards to the OSU30 (#2 C.Downs), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 14 games

Box score · CFBD

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

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Riley Nowakowski

202514 games

2026

2025 snapshot

Situational

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Complete TE

Players who play like Riley Nowakowski

Heisman trajectory

Peak #159