NORFOLK — When Otto Kuhns trotted out to lead Norfolk State’s offense in the fourth quarter against Virginia State on Sept. 6, it was a moment well-earned. But the journey to get there was anything but simple.
The senior quarterback had seen just about everything along the way — a transfer, injuries, suspensions, even losing his starting job. Then came the arrival of Izzy Carter, the South Florida transfer widely tabbed as the Spartans’ starter.
Yet after years of turbulence, Kuhns has been back in charge of the Spartans’ offense for the past two weeks and is making the most of it. He’s thrown for 430 yards and a touchdown in that span, stabilizing an offense that sputtered early in the year.
For Kuhns, this stretch represents a breakthrough and a chance to get back to leading the Spartans the way he envisioned when he arrived in Norfolk three years ago.
“It means everything,” Kuhns said. “This feels like a lot of hard work paid off. It was a lot to overcome, but it feels like it’s a long time coming.”
Kuhns’ path to this point has been anything but straightforward. He transferred to NSU from Eastern Illinois in 2022, quickly winning the starting job. He threw for over 1,400 yards and tallied 16 total touchdowns. Then, he won the job again and delivered nearly 1,500 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023.
Then came a stretch that nearly derailed his career. After mysteriously being away from the team in the spring of 2024, Kuhns returned to find himself serving an NCAA suspension, sidelining him for the first four games in the fall. By the time he returned, JUCO transfer Jalen Daniels had locked down the starting job. A back injury later requiring surgery ended Kuhns’ season.
By the offseason, Kuhns entered the transfer portal and strongly considered moving on. Former coach Dawson Odums had been fired, and a fresh start elsewhere seemed best.
Then came Michael Vick.
Once Vick accepted the job as Spartans coach, Kuhns reconsidered. Conversations with the staff and a gut feeling convinced him to stay.
“When I saw Vick took the job at NSU, I was willing to take whatever came with it, for sure,” Kuhns said.
But it wasn’t an easy choice. Just a month after Vick’s arrival, Carter transferred in from USF and was immediately expected to take the job. Kuhns knew he’d have to prove himself all over again.
“Initially, I had to fight for a spot back on the team, not even just the starting spot,” Kuhns said. “I decided to stick around my last year. Might just be good where my feet are at.”
Carter got the nod out of camp, but NSU’s offense sputtered in the opener, prompting Vick to let Kuhns finish the game, in which he threw for 219 yards in relief.
The following week against Virginia State, Carter again started slowly. Kuhns entered in the fourth quarter and did more than provide a spark. Down 23-10, he engineered a furious rally, throwing for two touchdowns and guiding the Spartans to a 34-31 overtime win — the first victory of the Vick era.
That performance sealed his return to the starter role.
“I prepare like a starter, even when I know I’m not going to start,” Kuhns said. “When my number is called, I can do what I do.”
Quarterback Otto Kuhns delivers a pass to a teammate during drills on the first day of football practice at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 24, 2024. (Billy Schuerman / The Virginian-Pilot)
For Vick, who knows better than most what it takes to succeed at quarterback, Kuhns’ persistence stood out and helped drive the decision to hand him the offense.
“Otto has a lot of reasons to be motivated,” Vick said. “This being his senior year, he’s taking everything serious down to every conversation that we had. And the one thing I respect about him is he speaks his mind. We have real heart-to-heart conversations. Sometimes he motivates me. Sometimes I motivate him. But that’s my job with all my quarterbacks: to make them feel comfortable and give them the best opportunities to succeed.”
That mutual trust has carried into their work together this fall, with Kuhns now the clear leader of the offense. Vick has also pointed to Kuhns’ maturity as a rallying point for younger players like Carter.
With a staff full of former pros and NFL-connected coaches, Kuhns knows what’s at stake. He’s spoken openly about wanting to take a shot at the professional level, and he believes that consistency down the stretch can put him in that position.
For Kuhns, staying the course after so many setbacks has made this moment sweeter.
“I’ve just been focused on patience, trusting the process,” he said. “I knew it was gonna come back to me at some point. And I got confidence in myself, my ability. So I knew whoever they brought in, I could beat them out. So I was just sticking with me.”
