The Huskies have their quarterback.

Coach Kalen DeBoer didn’t take a quarterback in the 2022 cycle, his first in charge of the UW program. On an abbreviated timetable, DeBoer and Co. elected to go the transfer route rather than the prep route, adding former Indiana thrower Michael Penix Jr. to a room that also includes Sam Huard and Dylan Morris.

With more time to evaluate and build relationships, UW won’t go without this cycle. Washington has its first high school quarterback commit of the DeBoer era in 3-star Pierre (S.D.) T.F. Riggs thrower Lincoln Kienholz.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound dual-threat quarterback announced his commitment on Wednesday, picking the Huskies over a group of finalists that also included North Dakota State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Kienholz rates as a 3-star prospect in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He checks in as the No. 42 quarterback and the 891st overall recruit in the 2023 class. He’s the top player from the state of South Dakota.

He was prolific as a junior this past fall, to put it lightly. Kienholz threw for 3,359 yards and 37 touchdowns (against six interceptions, 55% completion rate) while adding another 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground for a T.F. Riggs team that captured its fifth consecutive state championship. In the title game, he produced 537 yards of total offense (347 passing, 190 rushing) and two scores.

Through his first three seasons of high school ball, Kienholz has accumulated almost 6,000 passing yards, just shy of 2,100 rushing yards, and nearly 80 touchdowns. He also plays baseball and basketball for the Governors.

No doubt DeBoer and his staff did their homework on this one. South Dakota is where the first-year Husky head coach cut his teeth. As the head coach for Sioux Falls, DeBoer racked up three NAIA national titles and a 67-3 record from 2005-2009. During his last four seasons, DeBoer’s teams only suffered one loss—a state title match that prevented a four-peat.

And he’s always had strong quarterback play. He had great success with Penix while the pair were at Indiana during the 2019 season and then helped Jake Haener develop into a top-flight thrower in his two seasons at Fresno State.

Kienholz’s pledge gives UW its 14th known commitment for the 2023 cycle. He’s just the latest from a massive visit weekend to join the class; Kienholz was in Seattle this past weekend on an official visit. You can view his highlight tape below, via Hudl: