Sandwiched in between spring football practices new Washington offensive coordinator/QB coach, Ryan Grubb headed to Pierre, South Dakota to check out T.F. Riggs quarterback, Lincoln Kienholz.
It didn’t take long for the signal-caller to receive an offer.
“The offer wasn’t really a surprise,” Kienholz said. “They took the time to fly out and watch me in person. That told me that they were serious about me.”
Kienholz threw the ball around for 30 minutes in various drills and the visitors came away impressed.
“Coach Grubb said that he liked my ability to extend plays and make throws on the run,” he said. “I’m also comfortable on set throws from the pocket, as well.”
In leading T.F. Riggs to it’s fifth consecutive state title Kienholz compiled some impressive stats–some out of ability, some out of necessity.
“Our starting running back had a shoulder problem in the state championship game so I essentially became a second running back,” the 6-3, 185-pound signal caller said.
As the game’s MVP Kienholz accounted for all of his team’s touchdowns. Reminiscent of Washington’s Marques Tuiasosopo’s “Too much Tui” 300-200 game against Stanford, Kienholz threw for 347-yards passing with two touchdowns and carried the ball for another 190 with two TDs. He drove the Governors to the 23 yard line to set up the game-winning field goal as time expired.
It may have been the film that game that drew Grubb to Pierre, South Dakota on his day off.
“I think they wanted to see if I was the same person that they saw on film,” he said.
During the off season Kienholz keeps sharp working on his throwing and footwork two days a week. Even with the hard work some of what happens when a play breaks down comes naturally as it’s hard to simulate off-script decision-making on the fly.
“One of my strengths is my ability to make plays when things go wrong,” he said. “I take control and make the best play possible.”
It was that aspect of his game film is what Grubb said impressed him–and why 30 minutes was all it took for Grubb to extend the offer.
“I think that now I know what I’m capable of,” he said of what the opportunity means to him and how he will respond. “It makes me want to work that much harder on all aspects of my game.”
The offer has has given him an extra boost going into his senior season. He would also like to bring home a 6th consecutive state championship for the Governors. Despite losing two regular season games he was able to keep his team focused on the bigger picture and win state title.
“We were able to learn from our losses and get into the playoffs,” he said.
Along the way he racked up over 4,500 yards of offense and 49 touchdowns–including 3,359 yards passing and 37 TD passes–and is now racking up scholarship offers.
