Cole Wisniewski: Anchoring Texas Tech’s secondary with confidence and tradition
After helping Texas Tech secure back-to-back road wins, safety Cole Wisniewski carries himself with the calm confidence of a player who’s been through the grind and come out stronger. The Wisconsin native’s journey to Lubbock reflects that same steady determination — once an under-recruited athlete from the Midwest, he built his game on discipline, film study, and a relentless motor. Now, as a key piece in the Red Raider secondary, Wisniewski’s leadership and poise mirror the team’s growing belief in itself. His rise from small-town roots to Big 12 playmaker is proof that confidence is earned, not given.
“I think having an offense that’s operating at their best because of no crowd noise is always a good challenge. So being able to execute without the crowd behind us was awesome.
I think especially it will help us out this week, with all the fans getting after it and being loud, and hopefully disrupting their tempo.”
What to expect from Kansas according Wisniewski
Facing a mobile quarterback with over 200 rushing yards this season, Wisniewski emphasizes discipline and coverage. The Red Raider defense is focused on staying composed, communicating, and rallying to the ball to limit big plays and keep the offense from extending drives.
“He’s got 240 yards rushing in five or six games, which is a lot of yards for a quarterback. I would say he’s definitely still able to utilize his legs. But you know, his ability to escape the pocket and keep his eyes downfield is a huge threat for the defense.
Making sure that we stay in coverage is super important. When he escapes the pocket, we have to make sure that we rally well and don’t give many extra yards. But yeah, he’s a great athlete.”
The power and advantage of the Jones
Back at home, Wisniewski knows a rowdy crowd can give the Red Raiders’ defense a major edge. The energy helps disrupt opposing offenses, boosts confidence, and gives coach Wood more flexibility in his play calling.
“I think it’s really crucial to have an elite defense at home and to have the crowd behind you that is rowdy. When the fans can get loud and disrupt what the offense is doing, it’s much better — especially if we can get them into first and 15.
I mean, because of how good our crowd is, this can give us a huge advantage at home games. You can give everyone on defense confidence and basically an extra five yards, and it becomes harder for the offense. That opens up the playbook for coach Wood.”
The high level of the Red Raider defense
Wisniewski says Texas Tech’s defense is playing at a high level, but the focus remains on preventing big plays. By forcing opponents to drive the entire field, the Red Raiders aim to make scoring difficult and keep control of the game.
“We’ve been playing at a really high level. All we have to do is to continue to work on eliminating explosive plays. Both touchdowns that we we’re given up derive from explosive plays on drives.
So we just keep making sure that we force the opposing teams to drive the whole field and it will be really hard for them.”
The history of Texas Tech
For Wisniewski, playing at Texas Tech means being part of a program with deep history and tradition. The “Double T” represents decades of pride, resilience, and impact, and every player contributes to that legacy.
“The uniforms really reflect the amount of history that Texas Tech has, and how much pride has gone into this program. So to be able to wear these throwback uniforms, I mean the 100 year uniforms are something really special.
Especially for a lot of us who are coming into a new program and being able to recognize how much power the Double T has behind it and the historical impact that comes with it.”
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