Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff has verbally dedicated to switch to Tulane, sources informed ESPN.
The varsity has spent greater than every week doing background on Retzlaff, per sources, together with having the college’s Title IX workplace vet the switch. He is anticipated to enroll quickly as a walk-on, per sources, and compete for the beginning job in coaching camp within the upcoming weeks.
Retzlaff’s departure from BYU got here following his formal withdrawal from the college on July 11 within the wake of BYU’s deliberate seven-game suspension of him for violating the college’s honor code.
That BYU suspension arose after Retzlaff was accused in a lawsuit in Might of this yr of raping a lady in 2023. Retzlaff denied “each allegation” in a response and was by no means charged legally.
The lawsuit ended up being dismissed on June 30, with the events collectively agreeing to dismiss with prejudice. Retzlaff’s response included an admission of premarital intercourse, which is a violation of the BYU honor code, which led to the BYU suspension.
Together with Tulane’s vetting of the scenario, Retzlaff will arrive at Tulane with an extended historical past with coach Jon Sumrall. Whereas the coach at Troy, Sumrall recruited Retzlaff. Whereas Retzlaff ended up choosing BYU previous to the 2023 season, the 2 have a yearslong relationship that included an official go to to Troy. Retzlaff, who hails from California, is also acquainted with most of the present staffers at Tulane from that point.
Retzlaff’s switch is an unconventional one within the mechanics of the way it labored. Due to the timing of his determination to depart BYU, he could not enter the NCAA switch portal. (He was simply wanting his incomes his diploma.) As an alternative, he withdrew from college and plans to enroll at Tulane and technically will stroll on to the crew, per sources.
The timing of the suspension in late June and subsequent switch led to few colleges across the needing a quarterback, because it’s uncommon for a starter-caliber quarterback to switch after spring apply. As a result of that is Retzlaff’s fifth and remaining season of school soccer, he was unable to redshirt this yr and switch in a extra conventional window.
Retzlaff went 11-2 as a starter for BYU final season, throwing for two,947 yards and 20 touchdowns. He accomplished 57.9% of his passes and threw 12 interceptions, establishing himself as a productive Huge 12 quarterback on a powerful BYU crew.
He spent two seasons at junior faculty earlier than transferring to BYU in 2023, beginning within the remaining 4 video games of the season whereas sustaining his redshirt for the yr. He took over because the full-time starter in 2024 and was poised to be in 2025 earlier than off-field points diverted him from Provo.
As a part of the recruitment, sources stated, the Tulane workers made it clear there have been no ensures for him to start out and that he would wish to earn the job. Retzlaff had suitors at each the Energy 4 and Group of 6 degree as he made his alternative, per sources.
He’ll enter a quarterback scenario at Tulane that is layered in ambiguity after the arrest and subsequent switch of the proficient TJ Finley this spring.
Tulane took Iowa switch Brendan Sullivan in April after Finley’s points and in addition has Ball State switch Kadin Semonza and Illinois switch Donovan Leary. Of the 4 gamers competing for the Tulane beginning job, none was enrolled previous to January.
The void at that place got here after Darian Mensah left for Duke after main Tulane to the AAC title recreation and finishing 65.9% of his passes.
Tulane went 9-5 in Sumrall’s debut season in 2024, which adopted 11-win and 12-win seasons beneath former coach Willie Fritz. Tulane has been ranked within the high 20 in every of the previous three years.