One former Wisconsin Badger is preparing for the College Football Playoff and looking to propel the Indiana Hoosiers to the National Championship. Riley Nowakowski transferred out of Luke Fickell's program in the offseason to play for Curt Cignetti, and finally, he addressed in the pregame press conference exactly why. "They definitely saw a lot more in me than a lot of other staff," he says about the transfer portal process.
He also goes on to throw a little shade at Luke Fickell and Wisconsin's coaching staff when he says, "I feel like the staff at my old school didn't see a whole ton in me." As far as the stats go, it seems to be true as he took a huge leap this season for the Hoosiers.
Riley Nowakowski on the Vision Indiana Football Pitched Him #iufb
— Hoosier Review (@Hoosier_Review) December 30, 2025
"They definitely saw a lot more in me than a lot of other staffs... I feel like the staff at my old school didn't see a whole ton in me"
"They told me I'd be involved in the pass game...I'll take 200 [yards]" pic.twitter.com/uINXlrJw6F
Riley Nowakowski took a bet on himself and it's working out in dramatic fashion
Related: Wisconsin football fans are ripping once beloved QB for bailing on Luke Fickell
Nowakowski was a local high school recruit that played at Marquette High School in Wisconsin. He was home grown and poised to be one of the local success stories. Yet in the two years he played for Wisconsin he only had a total of 18 catches for 131 yards and one total touchdown. That's two seasons worth of stats. He decided to take a bet on himself and transfer, knowing he was capable of more.
It was Indiana that saw the potential in him. He says in the above interview that they promised him a 200-yard season as a tight end for the Hoosiers. Nowakowski went on to have 25 catches for 316 yards and two touchdowns this season. He's been one of their best first-down threats this season.
He wasn't wrong to say that one coaching staff saw his potential more than the other, and it looks like the bet he placed on himself worked well. It's not the spotlight that Luke Fickell wants this week, but it's where the program is at right now, and hopefully, he has a plan to turn it around this offseason.