After a devastating loss to Miami, Ohio State’s QB Lincoln Kienholz was the first to jump ship on the transfer portal. The redshirt sophomore gave tough competition for the QB1 position, eyeing the NFL Draft, but got stuck in the backup role. While there’s a big buzz on his potential destination, the first day of the Transfer Portal intel reports reveal some positive news from two Power Five teams.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos report, Jeff Brohm’s Louisville Cardinals and Scott Satterfield’s Cincinnati Bearcats emerge as the top contenders for Lincoln Hienholz in the 2026 NCAA Transfer Portal.

“Two early schools to keep tabs on in this recruitment are Louisville and Cincinnati, sources have said,” On3’s Pete Nakos reports.

Both Louisville and Cincinnati are in desperate need of a starting quarterback after losing players to the transfer portal. For the Cardinals, Miller Moss will be exhausting his eligibility after this season. While the other QBs, Deuce Adams and Mason Mims, were viewed as the frontrunners for the starter role, both announced their entry to the transfer portal. This left Jeff Brohm with the 2026 QB recruit Briggs Cherry. Although Cherry is a highly regarded prospect, he will still be a true freshman next season and would be a gamble for next season.

With that being said, Lincoln Kienholz could be a great fit for the role. Kienholz could bring the experience of playing against the top-ranked teams. Their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Brian Brohm, who has a history of developing QBs and mentoring QBs to reach the 3000-yard and 20-touchdown mark in two seasons, could certainly help Kienholz reach the pro level.

On the other hand, Cincinnati lost Brendon Sorsby to the transfer portal, who played at an elite level for the school this season. This left Satterfield reaching out to the backup QB Brady Lichtenberg for the Liberty Bowl against Navy. 

Since the Bearcats are left without an elite quarterback to match Sorsby’s standards, Lincoln Kienholz could be the right replacement. Offensive Coordinator Brad Glenn, who developed Sorsby to attain one of the best QBRs in college football, could certainly help Kienholz build his profile for the NFL future.

Lincoln Kienholz skips NFL Draft for Transfer Portal

Lincoln Kienholz is one of the star quarterbacks who announced his decision to play at the collegiate level for one more season, skipping the 2026 NFL Draft. His decision was obvious, as Kienholz’s playtime was limited at Ohio State, being a backup for three seasons.

“My goal is to go to the NFL, and in order to do that, you’ve got to play,” said Kienholz ahead of the transfer portal announcement. 

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If you take a look at Kienholz’s three seasons with the Buckeyes, he appeared in only 12 games, completing 21 of 36 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown. He was the backup to McCord and the backup QB Devin Brown in his freshman season. He then became a backup QB for Juliyan Sayin. It didn’t help the No. 15 overall QB showcase his gameplay on the field.

If Kienholz enters the portal, he would be stuck in a forever backup role. The worst part is that there’s a chance that he might even go undrafted. Since Sayin has four years of eligibility left, and Ohio State hired multiple quarterbacks, he decided to enter the portal looking for a new home, with two years of eligibility.

It would be interesting to see where Lincoln Kienholz is heading, as the 2026 portal window is in full swing on the very first day.