Ohio State had a pretty strong Early Signing Day. Although the Buckeyes only have one five-star player committed as of now, they still have hauled in 18 four-star commits and rank sixth in the nation per 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings.
One of the signees for Ohio State that drew attention was quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. Kienholz is a four-star recruit from Pierre, South Dakota, and ranked 14th at the quarterback position in the Class of 2023. If he steps up under center, he will follow a really strong lineage of Buckeye quarterbacks this century.
With names like Troy Smith, Terrelle Pryor, Cardale Jones, and Braxton Miller; and others like J.T. Barrett, Dwayne Haskins, and Justin Fields, quarterbacks have made big impacts at Ohio State. Recently, C.J. Stroud stepped in and kept the train going, as he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2023 College Football Playoff. So, it’s no secret that being a QB at Ohio State is a big deal.
Head coach Ryan Day shared similar thoughts at a press conference this week. Day said, via On3, “This isn’t for everybody. Being the starting quarterback for Ohio State isn’t for everybody. It’s got some unbelievable things, but there’s a lot of things that come with it.”
But Day wasn’t shy about praising his new signee either. He added, via Nick Schultz, On3, “He kind of looked at it and was like, ‘This is what I want.’ That was important. I liked his makeup. I thought Corey [Dennis’ really did a great job building a relationship with he and his mom. And I think we saw the opportunity here. Combine all those things together, we’re excited to have him.”
Day also praised Kienholz for being a multi-sport athlete. Kienholz starred in baseball, basketball, and football at T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre according to the article. The Ohio State commit made news earlier this week after he signed after he discussed the Buckeyes’ lack of NIL money.
