Ohio State’s offensive depth takes a real hit to the transfer portal hours after losing to Miami in the Cotton Bowl
The second player to hit the transfer portal after Ohio State’s season-ending loss.
Wednesday night didn’t go as planned for the Ohio State Buckeyes and now their season is over after a loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl.
Ohio State’s hopes of repeating in the College Football Playoff are over and now they head into the offseason. With the transfer portal opening on Friday, Ohio State will have several players choosing to enter. TE Jelani Thurman and WR Bryson Rodgers were the first two players to declare they’re entering for the Buckeyes, and now they have another.
QB Lincoln Kienholz to leave Columbus after three seasons
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Ohio State’s backup quarterback is heading to the transfer portal. Kienholz spent the 2025 season as the backup to Julian Sayin and just wrapped up his third season with the program. Kienholz, much like Devin Brown last season, is looking for his chance to be a starter in his senior season of college football eligibility.
Kienholz appeared in seven games this season for the Buckeyes and completed 11-of-14 passes during that time for 139 yards and a touchdown. At times this season, Ohio State brought in Kienholz to use his legs as a running quarterback. He totaled 66 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 11 attempts in 2025. Overall, Kienholz played in 12 games over the last three years with Ohio State. As a freshman in 2023, Kienholz attempted six passes. Kienholz was a top-200 recruit in the class of 2023 out of South Dakota.
The junior quarterback leaving means the Buckeyes are set to have a new backup in 2026. Current freshman and former five-star recruit Tavien St. Clair is the next man up behind Sayin in Columbus. In a perfect world, St. Clair is your starter in 2027 following Sayin’s departure. With how the calendar is set up, the departure unfortunately comes just a day after Ohio State’s season-ending loss. The portal will open on Friday and Kienholz won’t be the last to decide to enter from Columbus.
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