The college football options for Lincoln Kienholz are fairly straightforward: does he want to be another Carson Wentz, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen or Jake Locker?
In other words, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback from Pierre, South Dakota, will choose from among, in this order matching the aforementioned pros to their schools, North Dakota State, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the University of Washington.
On Wednesday, Kienholz determined with a social-media post that these four schools will serve as his recruitment finalists moving forward.
Husky followers enamored with this Midwest prospect would hope the comfortable South Dakota connection shared by Keinholz and Husky coach Kalen DeBoer will be a determining factor.
Yet he might choose the other Dakota and settle on the same FCS powerhouse program that made Wentz the second overall pick of the 2016 draft, all of which is located just 335 miles from his hometown.
Kienholz could head east to the challenge of Big Ten country and play for the Badgers who helped prepare Wilson for Super Bowl success with the Seattle Seahawks and maybe more of the same for the Denver Broncos.
Or he could go the gritty Wyoming route, same as Allen, and learn his trade in the Mountain West Conference, which served as an ample coaching springboard for DeBoer to do bigger things.
“It gets a little overwhelming, but also at the same time, I am very lucky compared to a bunch of kids across the country who don’t get this much exposure,” Kienholz recently told 605Sports. “So I am trying to take it all in and have fun with it. I am just trying to find the best college for me.”
The Huskies under the leadership of DeBoer have offered scholarships to no fewer than 15 high school quarterbacks, with Kienholz and six others emerging as members of the Class of 2023 and college additions after they complete their senior seasons.
Kienholz, all along, has seemed like a natural fit for what the new Husky coach is trying to do in Seattle with his spread offense.
Whereas DeBoer won three NAIA national championships for the University of Sioux Falls, the young quarterback has guided his T.F. Riggs High School in the state capital to two of its five consecutive state championships with a chance to win one more.
The quarterback has proven savvy and mobile, and possesses plenty of arm strength. Kienholz has generated career passing stats of 318 completions in 577 attempts for 5,678 yards and 58 touchdowns, with 23 interceptions.
His next move will be to take official visits to his final four.
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