Jon Wisnieski

Jon Wisnieski’s name may be hard to spell, but it is even harder to forget for Des Moines metro Hawkeye fans. He was a star from Dowling Catholic High School and a highly touted recruit heading east to Iowa City. Jon played alongside some of the top names coming out of Tight End U during his five years in black and gold. Injuries sidetracked his college career but haven’t slowed him down since. Just in time for Cy-Hawk week, Jon Wiznieski gives the inside look at his time for both Dowling and the Hawkeyes and life beyond football.

Jon Wisnieski was a multi-sport star at Dowling Catholic. He played baseball, football, and basketball and emerged as a two-way starter for the Maroon football team by his junior and senior seasons. He was highly recruited from high school with offers from many D1 programs. It seemed like his trajectory would lead him to be the next big name Hawkeye tight end when he chose Coach Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. Injuries early in his career coupled with TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant, Geoge Kittle, CJ Fiedorowicz, and Henry Krieger-Coble limited his opportunities to take the reins of the tight end role. Wisnieski stayed on the team for five years and saw playing time across three seasons on offense and special teams.

In this interview, Tim and Jon go through his experiences transitioning from a multi-sport high school athlete to trying to find his place in a crowded, tight-end room. One of the biggest challenges he faced was overcoming an injury his freshman year. He had to work his way back over the course of an entire year and saw his first game action in two years when he appeared against Illinois State in 2015. When his playing days were over, Jon Wisnieski had to adjust his worldview to fulfill his new goals for his life. This new journey included meeting Derek Jeter, contemplating the priesthood, and working with young people.

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