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BYU Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) warms up before the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
The war between Hamas and Israel hits differently for BYU’s Jake Retzlaff, especially as he watches the conflict being vehemently debated on college campuses in the United States. The fact that Retzlaff is Jewish and the signal caller at a predominantly Christian school keeps him under a spotlight that shines far beyond Provo.
“I’ve been so grateful for BYU to have this platform to allow me to be faith-oriented and allow me to grow in my faith.”
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff
“I’ll admit, sometimes I’d rather ‘just talk about ball.’ Other times, I’m like, ‘Yeah, it is definitely a big deal, especially in today’s political climate,’” Retzlaff told the “Y’s Guys” podcast about being a difference-maker in his faith. “There is not enough good news in the world, period. So, you might as well be some of it.”
Retzlaff started the last four games of the 2023 season and instantly became a role model for young people in and out of Judaism, and especially with his friends back home in Corona, California.
“That’s what I love about it is that it is good news that there is a Jewish starting quarterback at BYU. That’s good news because maybe some thought it was impossible,” Retzlaff said. “And, maybe some are thinking the Jews aren’t doing too well right now because, frankly, we are not, with Israel being in the state that it is constantly in — and even worse now, and the political climate all over campuses in America right now is unbelievable.”
The former top-ranked junior college quarterback came to Provo last year because the Cougars threw the football. He now sees BYU in a different…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jewish-qb-jake-retzlaff-sees-030000685.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-05-22 03:00:00
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