Lincoln Kienholz earned a prestigious honor as a senior high school athlete on Sunday.
The current Ohio State freshman quarterback was named USA TODAY's Boys Athlete of the Year at its third annual High School Sports Awards following a stellar 2022-23 as a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball teams at T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota.
The four-star quarterback recruit racked up a whopping 70 total touchdowns for the Governors as a senior, leading his team to a third straight state championship while being named the state’s 11AA Player of the Year in the process. Kienholz tossed 46 scores and tallied 3,422 yards through the air en route to becoming South Dakota high school football’s all-time passing leader.
Kienholz also excelled on the hardwood, leading T.F. Riggs to the state quarterfinals this past season and finishing his career as the program's second-all-time leading scorer. On the diamond, Kienholz spent time at shortstop, first base and pitcher during a career culminating in the program's first-ever state championship this past spring. Kienholz was a three-time all-state selection in both basketball and baseball.
Since arriving in Columbus this summer, the all-around athletic talent has already acclimated to the Ohio State football program. At Big Ten Media Days last week, Ryan Day praised Kienholz on more than one occasion and said he's "got a bright future ahead of him" in Columbus.
“Lincoln has stepped in and (I’m) very surprised with just his approach,” Day said at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. “Been really impressed with how it doesn't seem too big for Lincoln. He's very athletic. He's learning. He's got a long way to go. He came in in the summer but excited to have him here.”
