A lot has changed in college football over the years. The path to a National Championship has shifted from a BCS Bowl to the 4-team playoff, then the 12-team playoff, and next year it will be 24 teams. Another way college football and college sports in general have changed is that athletes are being paid.
Lawayne McCoy’s injury update is exactly what Louisville fans wanted to hear
Athletes now make money through NIL, and in some cases, an absurd amount. Recently, it was reported that Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor is finalizing a $7.5M deal to return in 2027. That amount of money is certainly eye-opening for many reasons, but it certainly grabbed Louisville fans' attention.
Louisville fans just got a scary reminder of what it could take to keep Lincoln Kienholz
Louisville is currently 6-3 in 2026 and is led by their 4-star transfer from Ohio State and starting quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. The Cards' star quarterback came to Louisville after throwing the ball only 36 times at Ohio State over three seasons and never starting.
However, it didn’t take long for him to show why he was a 4-star transfer and 4-star recruit out of high school, as he has taken the nation by storm and emerged as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. With Kienholz emerging as a true star for Louisville and Taylor recently signing a $7.5 million deal this week, Louisville fans began to worry about whether they can keep the Ohio State transfer.
The realization hit quickly after seeing Taylor's insane deal, as the Mississippi State QB was really good earlier this year, but few expected his NIL money to be that high. The Cardinals and Jeff Brohm, of course, want to do whatever it takes to bring Kienholz back for a second year, but with a deal like Taylor’s, it is even hard to predict what Kienholz might be asking for.
There is a lot of similarity between Taylor and Kienholz, and Louisville fans honestly have a case to make that Kienholz is just as good. Kienholz has thrown for 2,276 yards, ranking No. 17 in the nation, and has thrown for 14 touchdowns on just three interceptions. In addition to his passing, he has rushed for 394 yards and 11 touchdowns, and his 11 rushing touchdowns rank No. 11 in the nation.
Kienholz has emerged as a true star in Brohm’s offense, and while there is still so much to play for in 2026, worry is beginning to creep in among Cards fans about whether Louisville can keep him. Kienholz has a chance this offseason to make a lot of money, and Taylor earning a $7.5 million check proves that.
Louisville fans, of course, hope he comes back, but the reality is that for Kienholz to return, Brohm and Louisville will likely have to pay him significantly more than they are paying him now.
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