Former Sparta High School safety Cole Wisniewski made a special return to his alma mater Tuesday morning, speaking with students just days before the NFL Draft where he could make school history.
If his name is called during the draft, Wisniewski would become the first player in Sparta High School history to be selected in the NFL Draft. The former Spartan delivered a speech to students, answered questions and took pictures during his visit.
Wisniewski’s journey to the NFL Draft took him from Sparta to North Dakota State University before transferring to Texas Tech for his senior season. At Texas Tech, he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors, was named a Comeback Player of the Year Award semifinalist and received an invitation to the prestigious Shrine Bowl.
Rather than focusing solely on football, Wisniewski’s message centered on pursuing dreams and maintaining relentless determination to achieve goals.
“It was awesome to come back and I think the biggest message was I want kids to go after their passions, whatever it is. For me, obviously it’s football for them it could be a number of things. And, you know, I just want to show them that even if they don’t think it’s possible for them to accomplish something, the odds don’t really matter if you’re going at it with everything you have,” Wisniewski said.
Most draft analysts project Wisniewski as a Day Two (rounds 2-3) or Day Three (rounds 4-7) selection. Regardless of when he’s chosen, the former Spartan expressed confidence in his ability to contribute immediately to whichever team selects him.
“Yeah. I mean, they’re just gonna get someone who’s going to continue to strive to be an even better version of himself. And, you know, the person they draft is going to be, just a shadow of who I can be in 2 to 3 years and they’re going to get a guy who can be extremely versatile on the field and I’m excited to go and to pursue it,” Wisniewski said.
He said he would be watching the NFL Draft with close family and said he would be grateful to any team that drafts him, but he joked that he would prefer one with lower state income taxes.
The 2026 NFL Draft begins Thursday at 7 p.m. and airs on ESPN.
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