Former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Lincoln Kienholz may be starting under center at his new school during the 2026 College Football season. After sitting behind Kyle McCord, Will Howard, and Julian Sayin in Columbus, Kienholz has the "inside track" to start in the Bluegrass State.
Per Louisville Cardinals On SI's Matthew McGavic, "Given roster movement at the quarterback position, he has the inside track to be Louisville's starter next season. After Deuce Adams, Brady Allen, and Mason Mims all hit the transfer portal, West Georgia transfer Davin Wydner and true freshman Briggs Cherry are the only other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster."
Kienholz was never going to get his chance on the Buckeyes. With Sayin playing at least one more year, and possibly two, and Tavien St. Clair slowly developing into a game-ready hand if Sayin goes down, his best bet was always elsewhere.
Clearly, Kienholz chose one of the best situations possible.
ESPN shares doubts on Lincoln Kienholz prospects at Louisville
ESPN's Bill Connelly sounded skeptical about Kienholz in Louisville, even if Connelly is a fan of what Jeff Brohm is surrounding him with from a skill-position perspective. Connelly didn't comment on the Cardinals' completely rebuilt offensive line.
"Kienholz was a garbage-time delight at Ohio State last season, but if he holds off freshman Briggs Cherry and West Georgia transfer Davin Wydner for the starting job, he'll earn the first real snaps of his career. He's a mobile guy with at least short-range accuracy. There are some fun weapons in Jeff Brohm's latest enormous transfer haul, but we'll see what kind of upside Kienholz can bring to the table," Connelly wrote.
Being a "garbage-time delight" might be the meanest-sounding assessment of a player that's actually a complete compliment. Connelly stopping short of saying Kienholz has anything but "short-range accuracy" is another story.
Kienholz never earned the starting nod for OSU, so it's easy to write him off from a national perspective. Not beating a host of NFL QBs for the starting spot is nothing to be ashamed of. Kienholz clearly isn't, because he publicly shared a desire to become an NFL QB, using this one year in Louisville as his springboard.
We'll see if Kienholz could defy the odds with the Cards this fall.