Former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz looks like the right guy for the QB1 job at Louisville. Certainly, against Ole Miss during the Cardinals' Music City Kickoff game in Nashville, Kienholz looked better than he ever did while wearing Scarlet and Gray.
During his team's 41-38 loss that came down to a successful Rebels field goal as time expired, Kienholz was elusive and elite. He had 376 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. His arm looked strong, but his legs looked even more impressive. He couldn't be stopped through the air when he was eluding the pass rush and his receivers found space downfield.
Kienholz was the first quarterback in Louisville football history to amass over 300 yards in his debut game. He wouldn't let his team give up and nearly willed them to an improbable victory as a heavy underdog.
It's easy to wonder "what if?" about Kienholz running Arthur Smith's system right now. It's tantalizing, to say the least.
Just don't, though. Everything worked out the way it should have for every party involved.
Lincoln Kienholz couldn't win the Ohio State job for a reason
No one man is bigger than the Buckeyes brand. Kienholz was an asset in Columbus whom Ryan Day praised for his leadership. What he wasn't was a quarterback who could earn the starting job in any of his three years at OSU. Not in Day's eyes, anyway.
Julian Sayin was picked for a reason. At 13-2 as a starter after Ohio State's 56-3 blowout win over Ball State at the "Shoe" this past weekend, the reasons for Sayin to be QB1 are quite clear.
No Buckeye fan would go back and retroactively remove Will Howard from the starting job during the 2024 title run. 2023 was maybe the only year you could make the case that Day made the wrong call with Kyle McCord. Still, OSU went 11-1 during the regular season and would've made a 12-team CFP field. Plus, Kienholz was a true freshman.
Sayin had a historic 2025 season that cannot be forgotten. There's no way to know whether Kienholz would've produced similarly historic efficiency and team success if he were thrust into the same situation. Certainly, Sayin had the higher ceiling coming out of high school. That doesn't automatically mean Kienholz wouldn't have been similarly great, though.
Then again, we've now reached circular logic. Kienholz wouldn't be guaranteed to look like he did against Ole Miss if he never left Central Ohio. Chemistry and the human element are important. Kienholz may have needed a fresh start to prove how truly vast his dual-threat skill set is.
Certainly, the fresh start at Louisville worked out in a Jeff Brohm offense that affords more freedom to quarterbacks than the Buckeyes' offense.
Louisville has Ohio State to thank for a high 2026 ceiling
Brohm has a good eye for talent, but he lucked out a good bit with how ready Kienholz looked from the jump for the Cardinals.
Broham has Day's culture to thank for that. From day one in Cbus, Kienholz had to earn his keep.
Kienholz didn't have his black stripe removed until September of his freshman season. Going through the trials and tribulations he experienced at Ohio State shaped him into the leader he is these days.
Another win for Day's culture. Syracuse had Day to thank for McCord in 2024, just as LSU had him and Urban Meyer to thank for Joe Burrow in 2019.
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