Lawsuit accusing the quarterback of raping a woman in 2023 was dismissed with prejudice in June, but he still faced a seven-game suspension at BYU
Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff has found a new home, verbally committing to Tulane after facing a suspension by the Cougars for an honor-code violation stemming from a civil lawsuit filed against him in May.
While the lawsuit that accused him of raping a woman in 2023 was dismissed with prejudice in June, Retzlaff did admit to having premarital sex. The admission was a violation of the BYU honor code.
Although he denied the allegations, and the suit was dropped in an agreement between all parties, Retzlaff was still facing a seven-game suspension from the school.
So, the BYU quarterback withdrew from BYU and became a walk-on at Tulane, where he will be allowed to play this season. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report Retzlaff’s decision.
Jake Retzlaff Could Not Enter The Transfer Portal, So He Withdrew From BYU
While this is certainly an unconventional route for football players, this was Retzlaff’s only chance at playing this season. The timing of his decision didn’t allow him to use the transfer portal.
According to sources, Tulane spent numerous hours vetting the entire situation with Retzlaff at BYU, which also included working with Title IX officials in New Orleans to make sure the move was by the book.
Tulane is scheduled to start fall camp within the next two weeks, and Retzlaff will compete for the starting job with Iowa transfer Brendan Sullivan, Illinois transfer Donovan Leary and others. The Green Wave are a +275 betting favorite to win the American Conference and +750 to make the College Football Playoff.
Jake Retzlaff Heading To Tulane As A Walk-On, After Committing BYU Honor Code Violation Stemming From Lawsuit (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Last season, Retzlaff passed for 2,947 yards with 20 touchdowns, while also rushing for another six scores.
This is a unique situation, given that the former BYU quarterback will only have a few weeks to acclimate himself at Tulane and learn an offensive system under head coach Jon Sumrall, who has not promised Retzlaff the starting job.
Finding a new home only a few weeks before training camp starts was going to be a battle, but winning the job will be an even taller task. But, with only one year left to play college football, Retzlaff had to find the best spot possible to win the job, and a school that was willing to handle the situation.
