Lincoln Kienholz may be wearing Louisville colors now, but he made it clear this week that Ohio State still means a lot to him.
The former Buckeyes quarterback, now at Louisville after transferring to chase a starting job, spoke warmly about his time in Columbus during an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay. Kienholz spent three seasons with Ohio State, and he didn’t hide how much that experience shaped him.
“It was a blessing. Those three years there, I learned so much from Coach Day and his offense, getting to practice against the best guys in the nation every day was a blessing. It put me in this position.”
That move to Louisville has already given Kienholz a bigger role. Against Wake Forest, he threw for 324 yards and a touchdown and added two rushing scores, though the Cardinals still fell 30-27 at home. Louisville is now 2-2 on the season.
Back at Ohio State, Julian Sayin keeps making the starting decision look obvious. Sayin has been rolling since taking over as the starter over the last two seasons, and he’s opened this year with another strong run, including his performance against Illinois. In that game, he completed 27 of 36 passes for 367 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score.
Kienholz, meanwhile, always handled his Ohio State role the right way. He kept working, waited for his chance and gave the Buckeyes what he could when his number was called. The biggest extended look came in the 2023 bowl game against Missouri, when he was forced into the starting job after Devin Brown was injured in the first quarter.
There’s no question Kienholz brings more as a runner than Sayin, but Sayin is in a different class as a passer. He’s the better fit for this offense and looks like a legitimate Heisman contender, with just one interception through the first four games he’s played.
He may not even be the most talked-about Ohio State player in that race, either. Jeremiah Smith had a monster outing of his own, catching four touchdowns.
Kienholz will keep doing his part at Louisville, but Ohio State fans are likely to keep pulling for him too. And if the Buckeyes end up in the College Football Playoff, he’d be rooting for them there as well.
In Other News...
Ohio State Freshman Legend Bey May Have A Bigger Problem Than Playing Time
Legend Beys first season at Ohio State has already been shaped by interruption, and not just because of the usual freshman learning curve. After an earlier suspension and an ankle injury, the running back has been working from behind for playing time, and his role has stayed limited as the Buckeyes have moved through the season. Even in areas where young players can sometimes find a foothold, his path has been narrow.
The latest sign came against Illinois, when Bey did not play and another player handled his kick-return work instead. For a freshman trying to earn more than a spot in the rotation, that kind of move can say plenty about where he stands with the staff. If the concerns run deeper than health or depth-chart traffic, it could become a bigger issue for Bey as he looks to settle his future in Columbus. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Future Talent Pipeline Is Starting To Look Different
Ohio States recruiting machine is still humming, but the shape of the pipeline is starting to change. The Buckeyes already hold 19 verbal commitments in the 2027 class, a group that includes six national top 100 players and the countrys No. 1 overall prospect, DJ Jacobs, giving the staff another chance to load up early with high-end talent.
The next wave looks just as promising, if a little different in how it is forming. Ohio State has five commitments in the 2028 class, four of them top 100 prospects, led by quarterback Christopher Vargas at No. 4 nationally, and even the 2029 class already has a foothold with wide receiver Austin Miller, ranked No. 50. For a program that has long built its roster on blue-chip talent, the real question is how this early momentum will translate when the class rankings and the pressure both start to rise. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Growing Running Back Problem Behind Ja'Kobi Jackson
Ohio State got the win over Illinois in Week 4, but the running back room left Ryan Day with a lot to sort through. The group finished with 122 rushing yards, and Ja'Kobi Jackson accounted for the best of it with 56 yards and a touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a steadier presence than they got from the rest of the rotation.
What followed was more revealing than the box score. Day publicly singled out sophomores Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, questioning their effort when compared with Ja'Kobi Jackson, and the backdrop here is not just one uneven afternoon but a position group dealing with injuries and inconsistent play. For Ohio State, the bigger concern is whether there is a reliable answer behind Ja'Kobi Jackson, because right now the depth chart looks far less settled than a contender would prefer. [Read more 🡒]