South Dakota quarterback Lincoln Kienholz signs with Ohio State

Death, taxes, and quarterback recruiting being a wild and unpredictable ride. After going without a quarterback commit for a good chunk of the process, the Buckeyes took a summer commitment from Memphis (TN) area standout Brock Glenn.

But by the middle of the season, there started to be some questions about whether or not that marriage was going to last and in October, Ohio State quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis hopped on a plane to South Dakota to watch Lincoln Kienholz throw. Kienholz, a Washington commit at the time, clearly did something right as the Buckeyes kept in touch.

A few weeks later, Brock Glenn decommitted and flipped to Florida State and the Buckeyes put the full court press on Kienholz, ultimately landing his commitment a week before the Early Signing Period opened.

Kienholz is now signed with the Buckeyes, sending in his paperwork on Wednesday morning.

Outlook:

While the competition level questions will persist, there is a lot to like about Kienholz’s physical makeup. He has good size, a very good arm, and has both mobility within the pocket and also the ability to get out on the edge and make some plays with his legs.

This is an all-state player in three different sports so he is one of those natural athletes who seems to excel at every sport he puts his focus into. His ability to throw from different arm angles is intriguing and his film shows a player who can really spot the deep ball well.

Kienholz also has the luxury of low expectations early on. This will be a Devin Brown vs. Kyle McCord battle in the off-season, allowing Kienholz to come in and help on scout team, learn the offense, and adjust to what will be the most drastic leap in competition level he’ll ever face in this sport. Ohio State certainly feels as though it found a gem here.

Check out our Signing Day recruiting capsule video series below with a closer look at Lincoln Kienholz and his path to becoming Ohio State’s quarterback in the 2023 class.