After a bitter Cotton Bowl loss closed the season, Ohio State has entered a period of farewells. Within 24 hours, backup quarterback Lincoln Kienholz is set to enter the transfer portal, bringing his three-year run as a Buckeye to an end. And fittingly, his send-off has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Love always, bro, go be great!” penned QB Tavien St. Clair.

Lincoln Kienholz’s college football journey was never a smooth ride. Hailing from South Dakota, he ranked No. 15th as a quarterback in the Class of 2023. His high school snaps earned him interest from the then-Washington head coach, Kalen DeBoer. But Ohio State’s NFL record clearly earned Kienholz’s interest.

Three years later, the former four-star recruit is still fighting for playtime. The sophomore had spent weeks discussing his future with Ohio State’s coaching staff as the quarterback room continued to take shape. After pushing for the starting role last offseason, Kienholz ultimately fell behind redshirt freshman Julian Sayin following an extended competition that stretched from spring practices through fall camp.

With limited opportunity for Kienholz to move into a larger role, his decision did not come as a surprise inside the program. During College Football Playoff media availability in late December, Kienholz acknowledged his long-term priorities, making clear that finding a starting job in 2026 was central to his plans.

“My goal is to play in the NFL one day, and in order to do that, you got to play,” Kienholz said.

Over the season, he barely played 14 snaps. But he turned those 11 completions into three touchdowns. With two years of eligibility left and with Julian Sayin commanding the QB room, it was highly unlikely that the South Dakota native would have gotten the starting gig. Not just that, with former five-star Tavien St. Clair and incoming 2026 signee Luke Fahey, OSU’s QB room is stacked.

Now, looking for greener pastures, Lincoln Kienholz is headed for the transfer portal. 

Besides him, RB Sam Dixon, WR Bryson Rodgers, and Damarion Witten, TE Jelani Thurman, DE C.J. Hicks, Dom Kirks, and Logan George are a couple of names heading to the portal tomorrow.

Lincoln Kienholz remains a power 4 interest

Lincoln Kienholz may not have seen significant playing time on game days. But for three years, he developed himself under the watchful eyes of Ryan Day. He will surely be carrying all his learnings and work ethic to his new program.

“It’s been a blessing the past three years just to learn under him, learn his scheme and learn his offense,” Kienholz said. “It’s going to help me for my career.”

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Although he hasn’t hinted at any possible programs he might be considering, as he revealed to Cleveland.com. However, given his skill set, he could be a lucrative prospect for the Power 4 programs on the QB hunt.

“Thanks to his recruiting profile and time spent under Day, Kienholz would likely be an intriguing prospect for power conference schools if he entered the portal,” Stefan Krajisnik wrote.

It would be interesting to note how Lincoln’s program search pans out in the coming days.