Lincoln Kienholz is taking the same path a few other former Ohio State quarterbacks have used to turn limited chances in Columbus into starting jobs elsewhere.
Kienholz will open the 2026 season as Louisville’s starting quarterback, becoming the latest Ohio State transfer to land on his feet at a Power 4 program. Julian Sayin won’t be the only member of Ohio State’s 2025 quarterback room starting for a Power 4 team this season, and Kienholz now joins a line that includes Joe Burrow and Kyle McCord.
The comparison point that jumps out first is Burrow. Burrow spent three seasons at Ohio State after arriving with a developmental profile, but he barely saw the field, playing 42 snaps and throwing 39 passes from 2015-17 before heading into spring 2018 ready to compete for the starting job. He lost that battle to Dwayne Haskins, a younger and highly-rated recruit, and left in search of a place to play.
Kienholz’s Ohio State path was different, but the broad outline looks familiar. He arrived in 2022 as a developmental prospect and understood that his real shot to win a job would come in 2025.
He did get pushed into a bigger role sooner than expected when he replaced an injured Devin Brown in the 2023 Cotton Bowl. Still, when 2025 arrived, he lost the starting competition to Sayin and spent the season backing him up before moving on.
In three seasons, Kienholz played 41 snaps and attempted 36 passes.
That doesn’t mean Louisville should expect a Burrow-level leap. Burrow’s rise at LSU eventually produced a Heisman Trophy, a national title and the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, but even that breakout did not come until Year 2.
Kyle McCord may be the more realistic comparison. After three seasons in Columbus, including a starting role in 2023, McCord transferred to Syracuse and piled up production even if the team results didn’t match the numbers.
Burrow’s 5,671 passing yards in 2019 remain an SEC single-season record, while McCord’s 4,779 yards in 2025 stand as an ACC record.
Kienholz now sits somewhere between those two examples. If he delivers, it would add another reminder of how deep Ohio State’s quarterback room can be from year to year. It could also be enough to push Louisville to its first-ever College Football Playoff berth.
In Other News...
Ohio State Unveiled A New Horseshoe Look Fans Will Notice Fast
Ohio Stadium will look a little different the next time Ohio State takes the field, with Buckeye Stripes now added to the end zones ahead of the 2026 season opener. It is the kind of visual tweak Buckeye fans will spot right away, but it is only part of a broader upgrade inside the Horseshoe as the program continues modernizing the venue without losing its identity.
The bigger change may be underfoot, where Ohio State has installed new turf designed to meet NFL standards. Players and coaches have already given it positive feedback, and the surface is expected to hold up well while also giving the program more room for branding and helping preserve quality when the stadium hosts events such as concerts. [Read more 🡒]
C.J. Stroud Just Made A Risky Bet On Himself
C.J. Stroud is betting on the kind of leverage that only a franchise quarterback can chase, and he is doing it at a moment when the Houston Texans would have every reason to want certainty. Reports say the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year passed on a contract extension that would have paid him around $50 million per year, choosing instead to play out the season and try to raise his value even higher.
It is a bold call for a player whose performance has dipped from his rookie standard, especially with Houston still viewing itself as a Super Bowl contender. The Texans also are dealing with a major personnel hit after losing a key receiver for the season, which puts even more pressure on Stroud to carry his side of the bargain while he waits to see how far this wager can take him. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Could Make A Rare Freshman Secondary Move Saturday
Ohio States defensive backfield may already be getting a fresh look before the season even kicks off, thanks to the rapid rise of Jay Timmons. The five-star freshman and Florida State transfer has turned heads in spring and fall practices, where coaches and teammates have pointed to his mindset, tenacity and knack for making plays as reasons he has moved quickly into the conversation.
What makes this development notable is how much it can affect the Buckeyes overall secondary picture. Timmons progress has been strong enough to push Ohio State into rethinking its projected starting lineup, a rare early shake-up for a true freshman and a sign that the staff sees more than just depth potential when it evaluates him at nickelback. [Read more 🡒]