Louisville football adds former Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz

Louisville football appears to have found its starting quarterback for the 2026 season.

The Cardinals added Ohio State backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, according to his Instagram bio, on Saturday night. Kienholz was a four-star recruit and the No. 15 overall quarterback from the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports.

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The South Dakota native played in three games as a true freshman for Ohio State and went 10-for-22 passing with 111 yards behind Kyle McCord, who's now with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2025, Kienholz was competing for the Buckeyes' starting job but lost out to Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman vote. Kienholz appeared in seven games and totaled 139 yards and a touchdown while completing 11 of 14 passes (78.6%).

Keinholz became Louisville’s second portal addition after adding former Kentucky cornerback DJ Waller, Jr. earlier in the day. Kienholz is believed to be coming in as QB1 for the 2026 season, which will be the fourth straight year the Cardinals have started a transfer portal signal caller. But the South Dakota native has two years of eligibility left after redshirting in 2024. UofL's past three portal quarterbacks only had one year.

Kienholz's addition comes after the Cardinals lost starter Miller Moss, who transferred in from USC, to graduation and Deuce Adams, Mason Mims and Brady Allen to the transfer portal. The squad also signed quarterback Briggs Cherry from the 2026 high school recruiting class.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Lincoln Kienholz to transfer to UofL football at QB from Ohio State