Dark horse player who was once pictured as a potential transfer out is making a real push for the Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes will play their spring game next Saturday to wrap up their spring practices. This spring, a ton of focus has been on the quarterback battle and who is going to be the next starter for the Buckeyes.
Julian Sayin is the former five-star recruit and Elite 11 winner, who most see as the favorite to be the next starter following Will Howard. However, it isn’t going to be a walk in the park and to this point, it may be fair to say that Lincoln Kienholz has had the stronger spring.
Now, spring ball isn’t everything and Kienholz is in his third season with the program, compared to Sayin’s second season.
From potential transfer out to having a real shot at the Ohio State starting QB job
There was legit concern that the Buckeyes may need to add a quarterback in the spring portal after Devin Brown opted to leave following the National Championship. Kienholz was always going to compete in the spring but he looks the part and it would now be a shock to see Kienholz transfer out.
On Student Appreciation Day, Kienholz once again stood out. The big play of the day was a long touchdown strike to junior WR Carnell Tate.
“Kienholz had the strongest day of the trio. He led two touchdown drives during a team period, including one where he ripped a 40-yard pass down the sideline to Carnell Tate. If you were looking to see who could be the most consistent on Saturday, Kienholz fit that description.” — Stephen Means, Cleveland.com
Kienholz has appeared in five games over the last two seasons and has completed 10-of-22 passes for 111 yards. The majority of that came against Missouri in the bowl game in 2023 where he completed 6-of-17 passes as a true freshman. Kienholz was thrown into the fire after Kyle McCord transferred following the regular season.
A former multi-sport athlete at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds, Kienholz is an athletic competitor from South Dakota. Getting acclimated to the talent jump took some time, but Kienholz looks firmly in the quarterback battle through a few weeks in the spring.
Ohio State isn’t going to name a starting quarterback officially until the spring, likely, at least that is what Ryan Day has done in the past. The Buckeyes are going to have a different starting quarterback for the third straight season and it shouldn’t be fully assumed that it is going to be Sayin.
