How do Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin's stats compare to the numbers of his former backup Lincoln Kienholz, the starter at Louisville in 2026?
Kienholz, who transferred from Ohio State to Louisville
at the end of the 2025-26 season, has been a bright spot for the Cardinals through three games of 2026. In Louisville's latest win against No. 16 SMU, Kienholz threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 42 yards and a score.In his second year with the Buckeyes as a starter, Sayin enters Big Ten conference play with 839 passing yards, 6 passing touchdowns, and a 70.9% completion rate.
See a comparison between Sayin and Kienholz below.
Julian Sayin vs. Lincoln Kienholz stats, 2026
2026 stats through three games
- Passing yards: Sayin 839, Kienholz 816
- Passing touchdowns: Sayin 6, Kienholz 6
- Interceptions: Sayin 1, Kienholz 0
- Completion percentage: Sayin 70.9%, Kienholz 65.8%
- Yards per attempt: Sayin 10.6, Kienholz 11.2
- Passer rating: Sayin 182.4, Kienholz 187.0
- Rushing yards: Sayin -22, Kienholz 153
- Rushing touchdowns: Sayin 1, Kienholz 4
- Heisman Trophy odds: Sayin +3000, Kienholz +5000
- Opponents:
- Sayin: Ball State (1-2), Texas (3-0), Kent State (1-2)
- Kienholz: Ole Miss (3-0), Villanova (2-2), SMU (2-1)
Who is Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz?
Kienholz spent three years at Ohio State and was the backup to Sayin
last fall. He appeared in 10 games at Ohio State and threw for 250 yards and one touchdown between 2023 and 2025. A mobile threat, Kienholz ran for touchdowns last season against Minnesota and Purdue.
After this season, Kienholz has one more year of eligibility left. He redshirted during his freshman season in 2023. Kienholz committed to Louisville on Jan. 4.
Kienholz was also a three-sport athlete in high school in South Dakota, playing basketball and baseball. He was named the boys athlete of the year by USA TODAY in 2023.
In his debut game against Ole Miss, Kienholz passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 14 times for 69 yards and a rushing touchdown.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How ex-OSU QB Lincoln Kienholz, now at Louisville, compares to Julian Sayin
