Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 29 - Tight end Riley Nowakowski

Wisconsin's 2024 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 players who we think will be the keys to success for Luke Fickell's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

Of all players on this top-30 list, Riley Nowakowski may have had the lowest profile coming out of high school. The Milwaukee native, an outside linebacker at the time, was an unranked recruit, according to Rivals.com.

As a senior, Nowakowski, who also had offers from Ivy League universities such as Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale, had 126 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. He also served as the Hilltoppers' top running back and return man on special teams.

Nowakowski's final choice came down to a full-ride scholarship from New Mexico State, or becoming a preferred walk-on at Stanford or Wisconsin. He chose to stay close to home.

"I’ve grown up around Wisconsin my whole life," Nowakowski told BadgerBlitz.com. "Both my parents are alumni and my sister is a sophomore there.

"I’ve always loved the Badgers and we always had them on our TV when I was growing up. So, naturally, it’s been a dream of mine to go there."

Nowakowski joined the roster in 2020, making him the longest tenured Badger on offense along with Jack Nelson. He’s had as strange of a journey as anyone, going from outside linebacker to fullback to now finally arriving at tight end, where he’s become one of the most dependable on the roster.

Nowakowski’s most undeniable advantage is his seniority.

He’s the final remaining veteran in a tight end room that has completely changed around him over the last two years. Clay Cundiff and Jack Eschenbach left the program prior to the start of last season, and Hayden Rucci graduated this past offseason.

The fifth-year senior now finds himself completely surrounded by newbies — led by the presumed starter in Tucker Ashcraft (sophomore), and notable reserves Jackson McGohan (sophomore), Rob Booker II (freshman) and J.T. Seagreaves (redshirt sophomore).

The room’s youth makes Nowakowski even more valuable, as they are all mostly physically underdeveloped with an over-reliance on their receiving abilities.

The Milwaukee native’s history playing multiple positions has made him a great all-around athlete despite other physical limitations. At 6-foot-1, he’s the shortest tight end on the roster by two inches, but has still obviously spent the most time in the weight room, which also benefits him as a blocker.

Yet ultimately, Nowakowski is far from the most polished pass-catcher. He didn’t earn real reps at tight end until last season and a broken foot that caused him to miss the first four games hindered his receiving abilities for the remainder of the year.

“I got injured last year, so that switched up my role to less of a pass threat,” Nowakowski said in April. “I’ve grown back into getting in the pass game and running routes more fluidly.”

Scarcity has turned Nowakowski into one of the most valuable players on Wisconsin’s offense in 2024.

While Ashcraft will likely earn more snaps and opportunities than Nowakowski, the latter is arguably far more valuable than the former. There are other young, promising tight ends on the roster who might be better receivers than Nowakowski already, but nobody comes close to Nowakowski in terms of his blocking.

If the coaches need receiving options between the numbers, they can always look to the slot receivers. But there are few players on offense who can flatten a defender with a block on one play, then catch a screen pass the next play.

The rest of the room’s relative lack of blocking ability may force him to pick up more dirty work, but it will only make him more valuable.

Ultimately, Nowakowski is the most certain player in the least certain room.

He’s an experienced, versatile athlete who will at least make defenders think twice when making contact in the open field. Plus, the coaching staff will know what they’re getting from the fifth-year senior.

“He’s answered every bell that we’ve asked. He’s set a very high standard in our room and I think a lot of those young guys are trying to elevate their game to match that,” tight ends coach Nate Letton told the media in April during spring camp.

“For a kid who came in as a walk-on who has moved positions quite a bit, he’s got true grit. He’s worked and grinded at his craft and you’ve seen some of that production out there in the passing game as well.”

This could be Nowakowski’s last dance with the Badgers. From choosing to walk on, to the multiple position changes, it’s become clear that he cares most about operating on his own terms. With a cleaner bill of health and a coaching staff that fully believes in him, 2024 could be the year we’ll finally see a fully-formed Nowakowski.

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