Riley Nowakowski
Riley Nowakowski
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. Two head coaches in three seasons, at two different programs. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-Big Ten. The receipt on tape: 65 rec yds, 4 receptions against Wisconsin, Week 12, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
How it ended
Three seasons at Indiana, 518 receiving yards — drafted at #169 overall by Pittsburgh.
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Tom Allen → Curt Cignetti. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · NFL
Pittsburgh2026 NFL rookie season
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Curt Cignetti
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedR09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
All-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Recognition
Production
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
Career stats
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.
How he plays
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tyrick James’s 2021 season.
Matches Tyrick on
Differs from Tyrick on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Avery Boyd's senior season at Georgia Tech (2024).
Matches Avery on
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #159
Peaked at #159 this season.
Development
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2023–2025+579%
Up 579% from first season to most-recent.