Riley Nowakowski is a Versatile TE for Indiana. Riley's 2025 season produced 22.2 total EPA across 32 plays.
2026 Usage Outlook · projected share of team plays
Regressed toward the TE mean. Model correlation r≈0.42 on a 2019-2025 walk-forward — volume only; efficiency not projected.
2025 Production
Performance Analysis · 2025 · vs TE peers
Balanced profile without a single dominant trait — contributes across multiple dimensions.
- ▸Top-10% efficiency among TEs — elite opponent-adjusted EPA rate.
- ▸Limited usage share suggests a rotational or specialist role.
- ▸9 high-impact games (EPA/play > 0.4) this season — elite ceiling.
- ▸Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
- ▸Production faded as the season progressed — 0.20 EPA/play decline from first to second half.
- ▸Peak game: 3.94 EPA/play in Wk 4 vs Illinois (SP+ 13).
NIL Market Tier· 2025
On3 valuation ↗Top-3 player at position nationally. Collective + national brand deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
Historical Comparables · TE · efficiency + volume + value
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Thompson | Tulane | 2024 | 48 | 0.420 | 0.4 | 20.2 |
| Seth Green | Minnesota | 2018 | 83 | 0.390 | 0.0 | 32.4 |
| Johnny Langan | Rutgers | 2020 | 59 | 0.300 | 0.0 | 17.7 |
| Evan Svoboda | Wyoming | 2024 | 75 | 0.290 | 0.0 | 21.8 |
| Jordan Myers | Rice | 2021 | 59 | 0.270 | 0.2 | 15.9 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | Rec | Rec Yds | Avg | Rec TD | Long | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsOld Dominion | W27-14 | 5.9 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 9 | -0.95 |
| 2 | vsKennesaw State | W56-9 | -5.4 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | 14 | 1.35 |
| 4 | vsIllinois | W63-10 | 12.9 | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | 1 | 43 | 3.94 |
| 5 | @Iowa | W20-15 | 19.7 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | -0.17 |
| 7 | @Oregon | W30-20 | 25.9 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 0 | 6 | 0.19 |
| 8 | vsMichigan State | W38-13 | -3.4 | 3 | 54 | 18.0 | 0 | 39 | 0.94 |
| 9 | vsUCLA | W56-6 | -8.7 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 10 | @Maryland | W55-10 | 0.6 | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 0 | 19 | -0.66 |
| 11 | @Penn State | W27-24 | 18.1 | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 0 | 29 | 1.14 |
| 12 | vsWisconsin | W31-7 | -4.4 | 4 | 65 | 16.3 | 1 | 37 | 0.63 |
| 15 | vsOhio State | W13-10 | 30.1 | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 11 | 1.55 |
| 1 | vsOregon | W56-22 | 25.9 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 13 | 0.71 |
| 1 | vsAlabama | W38-3 | 14.8 | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 0 | 31 | 0.71 |
| 1 | vsMiami | W27-21 | 20.7 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 9 | 0.71 |
Usage & Situational · Pro
- Standard downs
- 0.47
- Passing downs
- 1.19
- Pass / Rush EPA
- 0.64 / 2.45
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).