© Stephen Lew/Imagn
Six months ago, Jake Retzlaff‘s life was upside down. The then-BYU quarterback was fending off allegations of sexual assault from a fellow student, and his future on and off the field was uncertain.
Eventually, the case against Retzlaff was dropped, although he did admit to having consensual sex with the accuser. Now, at any other school, this wouldn’t be an open-and-shut situation. Retzlaff would be welcomed back to the team, and the situation would likely fade away into the background.
However, BYU is not your ordinary school. It is the flagship university of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As part of that association, all BYU students sign an honor code that bans premarital sex, which instructs students to “live a chaste and virtuous life.”
If Retzlaff remained at BYU, he would have faced a suspension from football and, worse, potential expulsion from the school.
Tulane Rescued Jake Retzlaff’s Football Career On Short Notice
With his future uncert, Retzlaff hit the transfer portal with less than two months until the start of the 2025 college football season.
Ultimately, he landed at Tulane, which was looking for a replacement for former starting quarterback Darien Mensah, who himself transferred to Duke in the offseason.
Despite a late start, Retzlaff won the starting quarterback job over Iowa transfer Brendan Sullivan, and he went on to have the best year of his college career.
Retzlaff completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,862 yards, 14 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also rushed for a further 610 yards and 16 scores, leading Tulane to a 10-2 record in the regular season.
That put the Green Wave into Friday’s American Athletic Conference Championship Game, where they went on to beat North Texas, 34-21, and, in the process, almost assuredly qualify for the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, BYU lost to Texas Tech, 34-9, in Saturday’s Big 12 Champions Game, likely ending its playoff chances.
While the circumstances were ugly, it sure seems as if it’s Retzlaff who got the last laugh.