Ohio State football backup QB Lincoln Kienholz to transfer to Louisville

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Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz has committed to transfer to Louisville, according to a post shared to his Instagram.

Kienholz spent three seasons with the Buckeyes and made a push for the starting job this past season before losing out in the competition to Julian Sayin, a redshirt freshman who emerged as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

He threw for 139 yards and a touchdown and ran for 66 yards and two scores as the backup behind Sayin in 2025. The Buckeyes used Kienholz as a runner in short-yardage situations.

During a media day last week before the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, Kienholz had not made a final decision about whether to enter the portal, which opened on Jan. 2, but acknowledged he was looking for a chance to start in 2026. He has two years of eligibility left.

The move to Louisville opens the possibility for him landing a starting job as the eligibility expired for Miller Moss, a former USC transfer who threw for 2,679 yards and 16 touchdowns in his lone season behind center for Jeff Brohm.

Kienholz is the third straight Ohio State quarterback to leave for an ACC school, following Devin Brown who transferred to California in 2025 and Kyle McCord to Syracuse in 2024.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lincoln Kienholz to transfer from Ohio State to Louisville

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