How Lincoln Kienholz can change Jeff Brohm's Louisville offense at QB

• Louisville football is embracing a dual-threat quarterback in Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz.
• Kienholz's athleticism is expected to add a new dimension to the Cardinals' offense, which has been pass-first under head coach Jeff Brohm.

Lamar Jackson is Louisville football’s most prolific, iconic player. 

The 2016 Heisman winner’s most memorable plays from his time with the Cardinals are too many to count — there was the time he almost took down Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers, the leap over the Syracuse defender and the destruction of second-ranked Florida State. Despite some attempts to pigeonhole him and his abilities, Jackson established himself as a true dual-threat quarterback. 

Malik Cunningham, Jackson’s successor, was also mobile and is second only to Jackson in Louisville’s record books for most career total yards of offense.  

Having a mobile quarterback seemed to have become a thing of the past under Jeff Brohm. But this year, Louisville is embracing a dual-threat quarterback after signing Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz. He didn’t play much with the Buckeyes but averaged 6.0 yards per carry in addition to totaling 139 passing yards over seven games. That included 37 yards on three carries in the second half of Ohio State’s 42-9 win over Rutgers. 

“I envision us using his legs, using his athleticism in some of the QB run game, read game, read option game,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm said of Kienholz. “He can do all those things that maybe we haven't done as much in the past, but he adds an extra element to the offense that we haven't had.” 

Adding in more quarterback run plays not only spreads out the offense but also takes some pressure off the running backs, something Isaac Brown said he’s happy to have. 

“The linebacker/safety's got to be aware of the quarterback pulling the football and running it,” Brian Brohm explained. “They're not going to have their eyes on the running back all the time. So I think it opens up a lot of things in the run game. There's a lot of creative, fun things we can do with that.” 

Historically, the Brohm brothers have run a system in which the quarterback doesn't. According to ESPN, starting quarterbacks under Jeff Brohm never had more than 30 designed runs in any of the last eight seasons. In their final three years at Purdue, there were only 19 designed run plays in total for Aidan O’Connell and Jack Plummer, who totaled 30 yards.

But in the Brohms' first three seasons with Louisville, starting quarterbacks Plummer, Tyler Shough — who intentionally had fewer run plays to avoid injury — and Miller Moss combined for 62 designed run plays for 188 yards.

The Cardinals will still be pass-first, but the athleticism of Kienholz and this year's quarterback room gives the team more versatility within the offense. When the group was asked who’s the fastest among them, midyear enrollee Briggs Cherry graciously bowed out — “not me,” he said — while the bashful Kienholz stayed quiet despite being the unanimous answer. It’s consistent with stories that Jordan Palmer, Kienholz's quarterbacks coach, had heard about the South Dakota native prior to meeting him. Former Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka once called Kienholz one of the top two most athletic players on the team. 

“We've had guys in our room that have been athletic,” Brian Brohm said. “We've used some pieces where we've put other quarterbacks in to run the ball some. So, we have done that in the past, but I think with Lincoln at the top spot, we probably haven't had a quarterback that we've used in the run game a ton before. So that would definitely be different.” 

The Cardinals previously used dynamic athletes such as Evan Conley, Pierce Clarkson and Deuce Adams in some quarterback run packages over the last three seasons. But none of them played more than 64 snaps in a single campaign with Louisville being anchored by its passing game and explosive running backs: Jawhar Jordan, Isaac Guerendo and Isaac Brown, just to name a few.

Although Kienholz is expected to be the starter, first-year transfer Davin Wydner also brings an element of mobility after using his legs at the FCS level. He was West Georgia’s second-leading rusher in 2025, supplying the team with 442 rushing yards and three TDs to complement 1,667 passing yards and 15 more scores. Now with the Cardinals, he and the other backup QBs will have special packages to keep opposing defenses on their heels.

Jeff Brohm has always emphasized the importance of finding any way to get the ball into the hands of his best athletes. These days, that just might be the quarterback. 

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit