A week before the Early Signing Period opened, Washington lost its 2023 quarterback to Ohio State.

Pierre (SD) T.F. Riggs quarterback Lincoln Kienholz announced his de-commitment from UW earlier this month after spending nearly six months in the Huskies’ class. Minutes later, he revealed his verbal commitment to Ohio State. He signed with the Buckeyes last week, leaving UW to ponder the idea of back-to-back classes without a quarterback.

To further twist the knife, Kienholz took a major shot at UW and its coaching staff shortly after signing with Ohio State.

In an interview with Midco Sports, Kienholz said UW had a more lucrative NIL operation that would have allowed him to earn some money while in college, but Ohio State gave him a better chance of reaching the NFL.

“I think Washington had better NIL than Ohio State,” he told Midco Sports. “I think I can go to Washington and get money or I can go to Ohio State and be developed.”

When Kienholz committed to Washington, he was a 3-star quarterback ranked as the 42nd-best at his position in the class. He sat outside of the top 800 overall prospects, according to the industry-generated 247 Composite. UW was competing with fellow finalists North Dakota State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming for his verbal pledge. DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb trusted their evaluations, though.

And that trust was validated as Kienholz once again tore things up in his district as a senior. As of his signing, Kienholz had been elevated to 4-star status. He ranks as the 14th-best quarterback in the class now, and the 205th overall prospect.

And Ohio State didn’t come to the table until after its own 2023 quarterback backed off his own pledge.

It’s also worth pointing out that DeBoer, who is the second-winningest active head coach among those with at least five years experience, helped turn unheralded Jake Haener into a national name at Fresno State and then helped Michael Penix Jr become the AP Comeback Player of the Year and the FBS passing leader this season.

But Ohio State has seen multiple quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in recent years and it looks like the Buckeyes will have another soon. Dwayne Haskins was a first-round pick in 2019. Justin Fields, who took over for Haskins at OSU, was a first-round pick in 2021. Now CJ Stroud, who took over for Fields, projects as a first-rounder in the 2023 Draft.