Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz signs NIL partnership with Tommy John

Lincoln Kienholz opted to stay for his full senior year of high school, graduating with his peers and finishing out his basketball and baseball career.

A four-star quarterback coming out of T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre, South Dakota, the USA Today‘s Overall Boys Athlete of the Year did not want to enroll early at Ohio State. Instead, the three-sport athlete finished his high school basketball career as the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,464 points.

The tie to his hometown and home state is now paying off in his first NIL deal. The first-year Buckeyes’ quarterback agreed to terms on a partnership with Tommy John. The company’s co-founder, Tom Patterson, is also from South Dakota.

Terms of the agreement were not released but the full marketing campaign is set to launch this month. A comfort-focused lifestyle brand, it’s the first endorsement deal for Tommy John.

“Lincoln’s embodiment of hard work, determination, and the pursuit of greatness aligns perfectly with the values we celebrate at Tommy John,” Patterson said in a statement. “We are honored to have him as part of the Tommy John family, showcasing the importance of comfort and confidence in every aspect of life.”

Kienholz will be promoting Tommy John’s innovative designs, such as the Stay-Tucked undershirts and second skin hammock pouch boxer briefs.

His accomplishments on the football field are where he set himself apart. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback is South Dakota’s all-time leader in passing yards. Kienholz threw for 104 scores and rushed for more than 3,500 yards in his career. He led Pierre to three consecutive 11AA state championships, too.

Some may have doubted his stats as a quarterback in South Dakota. But he proved at January’s All-American Bowl in San Antonio he can compete with some of the nation’s top talent, throwing two touchdowns of 43 and 38 yards.

The odds of positioning himself in the backup quarterback battle seem slim this season. The No. 15 quarterback in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, is in an Ohio State quarterback room with three names above him on the depth chart. Learning the playbook and his way around Columbus could position him to battle for the starting job in a year, though.

“I started this business without any experience in clothing design or manufacturing,” Patterson said. “Just the grit and determination to deliver a better base layer. Tommy John may be an underdog story, but we have always had faith we would go the distance. I’m excited to see the same for Lincoln Kienholz as he joins the Ohio State football team and makes his mark.”

Lincoln Kienholz’s On3 NIL Valuation

While the No. 205 prospect in the 2023 class has not built up a major social media following, he does have plenty to offer for brands. Lincoln Kienholz now plays for one of the most-followed college football programs in the country. A year from now, he could be starting under center.

He has a $124,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which sits in the top 600 of the college football NIL rankings. The quarterback has more than 8,200 social media followers. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.