Lincoln Kienholz named USA Today boys athlete of the year

The USA Today has named Pierre’s Lincoln Kienholz as its national boys athlete of the year. He was announced as the winner during an awards ceremony on Sunday night.

Kienholz will enter his freshman year at Ohio State this fall where he’s committed to playing quarterback for the Buckeyes.

In November, Kienholz wrapped up his prep football career as he led Pierre TF Riggs to a sixth straight program 11AA title – his third as the Governors quarterback.

He finished his high school gridiron career by becoming the all-time leading passer in South Dakota state history with 9,100 passing yards. He also threw for 104 touchdowns. As a dual threat quarterback, Kienholz was also a weapon with his legs. He had over 3,500 rushing yards and 44 rushing touchdowns for his career as well. In just his senior year alone, he threw for 46 touchdowns and ran for another 24 - that's 70 TD's in one season.

The three-time Joe Robbie MVP originally committed to the University of Washington for college, but in mid-December, he flipped his commitment to Ohio State University.

In mid-January, during a national broadcast on NBC, Kienholz showcased his arm during the All-American game. He threw two touchdowns in that contest – one while scrambling to his weak side and launching it 43-yards to the end zone.

Just last week at the Big Ten Media Day, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day gave his new freshman quarterback a shoutout during a question on the Buckeyes quarterback competition.

Along with being a stand out football player in high school, he was also a stand out in basketball and baseball as well. Realistically, he could have played those sports at the DI level as well for college, but he opted to continue with football.