Lincoln Kienholz is spreading his wings as starting quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals.
He’s getting to put on display a lot of what he learned while developing in the Ohio State program with the Buckeyes.
Kienholz and Louisville lost their season opener, a ranked clash with Ole Miss, but Kienholz showed why he was a sought-after transfer quarterback.
Against the Rebels, Keinholz completed 18-of-29 passes (62.1%) for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 14 times for 69 yards and a score (pictured above).
It was already more yardage than he had achieved on both fronts in three seasons at Ohio State.
With the Buckeyes, Kienholz had been 21-for-36 as a passer for 250 yards and one touchdown. He had run 17 times for 68 yards and two scores.
In this modern world of college football, a player like Kienholz got the chance at a fresh start, and he’s seizing it.
Why Did Lincoln Kienholz Transfer From Ohio State?
The most simple answer is also the obvious one: Julian Sayin.
There wasn’t going to be a different starting QB for the Buckeyes in the next couple seasons. The Heisman Trophy finalist Sayin made sure of that with a dominant 2025 season.
Kienholz was Sayin’s primary backup last season, but that was the best role he was going to have with the Buckeyes. And given that Ohio State is always attracting new talented QBs, he may not have even held onto that for the rest of his time in Columbus.
He was always down the depth chart, first behind the likes of Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, then behind Will Howard, Brown and Sayin, and finally Sayin last season.
Kienholz had been an exciting choice to go to Ohio State in the first place, as he hailed from South Dakota, where he holds the state’s all-time passing yardage record.
He originally committed to the University of Washington but then flipped to the Buckeyes.
Why Louisville Fit Lincoln Kienholz
The Cardinals needed a quarterback. They had Miller Moss in 2025 as part of his final season of eligibility, and there was no time to waste in slotting in someone who could definitely be a starter.
While Kienholz had put together very limited tape at Ohio State, his pedigree and dual-threat potential were enough to attract the Cardinals.
He conceptually had to hold off Davin Wydner (West Florida to Ole Miss to Louisville), and the Cardinals also brought in promising freshman Briggs Cherry, but this was always going to be Kienholz’s gig.
Jeff Brohm knows how to work with good quarterbacks, having been a QB at Louisville himself, and Kienholz is his latest exciting talent at the position.
Why Lincoln Kienholz Transferred From Ohio State to Louisville