LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Louisville football program, presumably, has their QB1 for the 2026 season.

Former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz announced Saturday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He will join Louisville will two years of eligilbility.

Keinholz is Louisville’s second portal commitment of the cycle, joining Kentucky cornerback D.J. Waller. The duo are the first to offset 21 portal defections that UofL has seen so far. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up this past Friday, and is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound quarterback was involved in a highly competitive battle for the Buckeyes’ starting gig in the preseason, before ultimately losing out to eventual Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin. He saw action in seven games this past season, going 11-of-14 through the air for 139 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 66 yards and two scores on 11 attempts.

“Just a tremendous athlete,” OSU head coach Ryan Day said of Kienholz at Big Ten Media Days this past summer. “You pick a sport, he can do it. He’s like a four handicap [in golf]. He can hit the [baseball] out of the park. He was a major league baseball prospect. He can windmill dunk. He can do a lot of things.”

The Pierre, S.D. native spent three seasons in Columbus. As a true freshman in 2023, he played in three games, going 10-of-22 for 111 yards, while also rushing for two yards on six attempts. He did not log any stats during Ohio State’s 2024 national championship season.

Kienholz was a highly-regarded recruit coming out of high school, ranking as No. 194 prospect in the Class of 2023. He chose Ohio State over Illinois, Kansas State, Pitt, Washington, Wisconsin and others.

He has the inside track to be Louisville’s starter next season given recent roster movement. Previously, incoming true freshman Briggs Cherry was the lone scholarship quarterback on the roster after Deuce Adams, Brady Allen and Mason Mims all hit the transfer portal.

In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.

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