Tulane needed a quarterback. Jake Retzlaff was the best on the market. Maybe it’s that simple.
The Green Wave lost their quarterback of the future when Darian Mensah was poached by Duke. The presumptive replacement, TJ Finley, left the team after an arrest. The only player with serious starting experience is Kadin Semonza, who came from the MAC. For a program that fancies itself among the class of the Group of Five, the situation was simply not palatable.
Former BYU star Retzlaff comes with complications, but there’s no question, he’s the best on the market. He helped lead the Cougars to a breakout 11-win season during their second year in the Big 12. If he pops, Retzlaff has a chance to radically transform the Green Wave’s offense and shake up both the American and College Football Playoff race. Tulane separated itself as the odds-on favorite to win its conference on FanDuel after the announcement.
Adding Retzlaff is a chance worth taking, but also comes with serious risks.
Jake Retzlaff’s complicated journey to Tulane
First, there’s the complicated backdrop. Retzlaff’s status at BYU was impacted by a civil lawsuit filed accusing Retzlaff of sexual assault. The lawsuit was later dismissed with prejudice after a settlement. According to ESPN, Tulane — including the school’s Title IX office — spent more than a week vetting Retzlaff. Despite being legally cleared, Retzlaff was facing a potential seven-game suspension from BYU for violating its strict honor code. He opted to pursue other opportunities.
Because of the timing, and being a few hours short of graduation, Retzlaff could not enter the traditional transfer portal. He instead had to unenroll from the school and could not be pursued as a traditional recruit. Tulane does…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/jake-retzlaff-to-tulane-why-ex-byu-qb-is-a-worthy-risk-with-green-wave-positioned-as-cfp-contender/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2025-07-22 12:28:00
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