With football season approaching, we’re going through Indiana’s roster to look at each position group going into fall camp.
Tight end was one of Indiana’s biggest holes to address early in the offseason.
Between Zach Horton and Trey Walker being out of eligibility and three outbound transfers, the Hoosiers had just one player returning in the room for this season. They had two incoming freshmen, as well, but Curt Cignetti and Grant Cain had to hit the portal to bring in some tight ends who would be ready to play immediately.
Roster turnover — who’s gone
- Zach Horton (exhausted his eligibility)
- Trey Walker (exhausted his eligibility)
- Brody Kosin (transfer — Miami (OH))
- Sam West (transfer — Mississippi State)
- Brody Foley (transfer — Tulsa)
Roster turnover — who’s back
- James Bomba (redshirt senior)
Roster turnover — who’s new
- Riley Nowakowski (sixth-year senior; transfer — Wisconsin)
- Holden Staes (senior; transfer — Tennessee)
- Blake Thiry (3-star, Prairie Du Chien, Wis.)
- Andrew Barker (3-star, Kokomo, Ind.)
Projected depth chart
Here’s our best estimate of Indiana’s tight end starters and key players.
Blocking tight end: Riley Nowakowski, sixth-year senior, 6-foot-2, 249 pounds (10 career starts at Wisconsin)
Receiving tight end: Holden Staes, senior, 6-foot-4, 250 pounds (12 career starts at Tennessee and Notre Dame)
Primary backup: James Bomba, redshirt senior, 6-foot-6, 252 pounds (10 career starts at IU)
It wouldn’t really be fair to dub Nowakowski or Staes the lone starter over the other, because they’re going to play very different roles within the IU offense. So we won’t. Nowakowski should be considered the leading blocking tight end — he was even included in an offensive line team dinner with quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Staes is the more likely of the two to be an impactful receiving tight end. Bomba will be the main backup in the room.
Why it will work
Indiana’s tight end doesn’t have to play a big receiving role. Last season, Horton recorded 189 receiving yards with four touchdowns. He was a key target in some red-zone situations, but IU had so many wide receivers and running backs to feed, he wasn’t a necessity as a pass-catcher. The Hoosiers made use of him as a strong lead blocker, and that’s where this unit could thrive. Nowakowski is sound in pass protection, and plays with the physicality you want in a blocking tight end. Staes, through his career, hasn’t completely lit up the stat sheet as a receiver, but he could come close to replicating what Horton did in that department. At Notre Dame in 2023, Staes posted 176 yards and four touchdowns. And he’s displayed good hands in spring ball and early in fall camp.
Why it won’t
This is one of the thinnest position rooms on the team. Bomba has spent a lot of time with the Hoosiers, but has never really provided a big spark. The two freshmen behind him could turn into nice pieces down the road, but it seems less likely that they’d be ready to contribute right away. The depth would feel like less of an issue if Nowakowski and Staes could capably provide cover for each other if something happened, but that’s not the case. Staes might be able to handle more blocking, though it’d be a drop-off from Nowakowski. But barring drastic improvement, Nowakowski just isn’t a reliable receiver. Horton was a key part of Indiana’s offense last year — tight end is an important position in Cignetti and Mike Shanahan’s system. So if something goes awry with Nowakowski or Staes, whether it’s injury or performance-related, that could cause problems for IU.
Prior previews:
- Defensive line
- Linebackers
- Cornerbacks
- Safeties
- Quarterbacks
- Running backs
- Offensive line
- Wide receivers
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