Jewish QB Retzlaff Transfers to Tulane

When quarterback Jake Retzlaff likens transferring to Tulane to stepping “into a different world, a different galaxy,” the former Brigham Young University standout is not just referring to his new school’s vastly different geography and climate.

Admittedly unfamiliar with the suffocatingly hot South as well as New Orleans culture, Retzlaff is also referring to his transition from BYU, a school with traditionally hardly any Jewish students, to one in Tulane whose Jewish population comprises approximately 37 percent of the school’s 13,078 students. Last fall, Retzlaff, as the first Jewish starting quarterback in BYU history, piloted the Cougars to an 11-2 season that culminated with an Alamo Bowl win over nationally ranked Colorado. This fall, Retzlaff is one of many Jewish scholar-athletes at Tulane, which has the second-largest population of Jewish students for any non-Jewish university, behind that of Touro University in New York.

For Retzlaff, who was an active congregant at Temple Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in Pomona, Calif., near his hometown of Corona and last year inked a historic sponsorship deal with Manischewitz, having such a high-profile athletic role for a university well-represented by Judaism remains at the forefront of his mind.

“It’s a cool deal because it is so opposite. At BYU, I was one of two Jews on campus. I was thinking of starting a Jewish club and me and the other guy could just go eat a lot of expensive meals with whatever budget they give us. [We’d get the budget] for a full club and pretend there are a lot of us in it,” Retzlaff joked with reporters covering Tulane’s football team on Aug. 1.

“That club would be a lot bigger here and I think that is awesome. That fact just made it so much sweeter to come here.”

But all kidding aside, Retzlaff, who hopes to follow in the footsteps of J.P. Losman, who played college football for the Tulane Green Wave and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round (22nd overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft, added, “I’ve already been put in contact with local rabbis. I am excited to explore that side of it at Tulane, no doubt.”

Last season, rabbis — and their respective congregations — were hooked on a quarterback who passed for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns while sporting a Star of David necklace. Retzlaff’s string of impressive performances in the ever-competitive Big 12 Conference, coupled with his beaming pride of Judaism, made him an instant sensation in Jewish communities across America and even overseas in England. At one point, by mid-November, BYU was the seventh ranked team in America, well positioned for a run at the school’s first national title since 1984, and Retzlaff was becoming a household name among football fans of all religions.

While Retzlaff left BYU earlier this summer with a sparkling on-field resume (he officially withdrew from the school on July 11), his legacy away from the gridiron proved to be a far more complicated one. In a civil lawsuit filed this past May, Retzlaff was accused of sexually assaulting a woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe A.G., in Provo, Utah, in November 2023. Through a statement from his attorney, Retzlaff immediately denied “each and every allegation.” The parties jointly agreed to dismiss the civil lawsuit on June 30, with Retzlaff’s response including an admission of “consensual” premarital sex with the woman who accused him of sexual assault.

However, officials at BYU further examined the filing in Utah’s Third District Court. Subsequently, as the university is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and enforces a very strict Honor Code that forbids premarital sex, calling on students to “live a chaste and virtuous life,” Retzlaff faced a seven-game Honor Code suspension that would have sidelined him until late October, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune. Even though by early summer, nearly every Division I program had settled on its starting quarterback and there weren’t too many enticing situations, Retzlaff couldn’t bear the thought of sitting out essentially the first two months of the upcoming season. After weighing his options for his final season of college football — he seriously considered Wake Forest and Oklahoma State — Retzlaff felt that Tulane offered him the best chance to start. Indeed, he is expected to be starting under center for Tulane when the Green Wave takes on Northwestern on Aug. 30.

“He’s a really bright guy, and he’s played high-level football,” Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall remarked about Retzlaff, whom he actually tried to recruit when he was coaching Troy University, and the QB was transferring a couple years back. “Jake’s got time on task. There’s no substitute at that position for having been in the saddle and looked across the line at another team in a different-colored jersey. He’s a very calm, poised guy. I don’t think he’s going to get rattled.”

While there may not be a quarterback controversy sparking drama for Tulane, the trail of controversies following Retzlaff’s unceremonious departure from BYU naturally has been a source of intrigue at the school’s football training camp. Retzlaff refused to comment on the case or suspension when reporters brought it up — “Nah, I’m just worried about where my feet are”— and only briefly touched on his time at BYU.

“The circumstances are what the circumstances are and I left,” Retzlaff said. “But I told them [former teammates at BYU], anyone call me anytime and I’ll pick up. I don’t care what I am doing. Those are my brothers over there and they know that. I’m excited to see their future and their success. I guarantee you if I have a chance to throw on one of their games [on TV], I will.”

As for Retzlaff’s new team, Tulane will be playing on national TV (ESPNU) when it opens the 2025 schedule against Northwestern with a noon kickoff on Aug. 30 at Yulman Stadium.