The war between Hamas and Israel has a different feel for BYU's Jake Retzlaff, especially as he sees the conflict hotly debated on American college campuses. The fact that Retzlaff is Jewish and serves as a signal caller at a Christian-majority school continues to place him in the spotlight far beyond Provo.
“I am so grateful for this platform that BYU has given me the opportunity to grow in my faith.”
— BYU Quarterback Jake Retzlaff
“I'll admit, sometimes I just want to talk about balls. And other times I'm like, 'Oh, it's definitely a big deal, especially in today's political climate,'” Retzlaff said on the Y's Guys podcast. I talked about being a change agent in my faith. “There's not enough good news in the world. So maybe you can be a part of it.”
Retzlaff started the final four games of the 2023 season and quickly became a role model for young people inside and outside of Judaism, especially his friends back home in Corona, California.
“What I like about it is that it's good news that BYU has a Jewish starting quarterback. This is good news because maybe some people thought it wasn't possible.” said Retzlaff. “And some of you may be thinking, maybe Jews aren't doing so well right now, because Israel has always been like that, and now it's even worse, and the campus Because frankly we're not like that because of the whole political climate. It's unbelievable in America right now.”
The former top-ranked junior college quarterback came to Provo last year because the Cougars threw the football. He sees BYU in a different light now.
“I'm so grateful to be at a place like BYU that's just so supportive. It's so great to be a part of that and to be a part of this institution,” he said. “I'm so grateful that BYU values faith and provides this platform to grow in my faith.”
Retzlaff quickly adapted to campus life, which he did not expect.
“It's very faith-based. Everyone talks about it. It's part of the class. I have a religion class and we pray before every class. We pray before every class. We pray before every meeting,” Retzlaff said. “It's much easier to grow in faith when you're around people of faith. It's simple. Surround yourself with people of faith, because you will become like them. And… That's what happened. I was able to grow in my faith as a Jew.”
Performing on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) was something Retzlaff had to accept.
“I tell people my Sabbath is just this: I get to go out on the field and play in front of millions of people expressing my faith as proudly as I can. ” he said. “I love being a beacon of Judaism in front of all these people.”
Seeking Reparation
Retzlaff started for BYU last year, including in a 40-34 loss in two overtimes to No. 21 Oklahoma State on Thanksgiving weekend when the Cougars led 24-6 at halftime. They lost all four games they played. A late-season slump kept BYU out of bowl season.
“Ever since the plane landed in Provo, I was eager to get back on the field,” Retzlaff said. “Everyone says, 'This summer is going to fly by.' Are you ready? Well, for me, it can't go fast enough. We channel that sense of urgency into summer training.” We're going to hold on through this, and we're going into fall camp. I'm looking forward to getting this going. I'm looking forward to seeing what our team will do on the field this year.”
If there were really tough schools, Retzlaff would already have a master's degree. Due to an injury to veteran quarterback Kedon Slovis against Texas, the former Riverside City College star will now face four straight Power Four schools in his Division I debut. It's a challenge no other BYU quarterback has experienced.
The Cougars lost to West Virginia (37-7) and Iowa State (45-13), but responded with better efforts against No. 14 Oklahoma (31-24) and Oklahoma State.
“We showed them, 'Oh, these guys aren't just Mormons in Mormontown, these guys can throw a ball,'” Retzlaff said. “It was very exciting for the team. That's why the last loss hurt so much and that's why everyone is talking about 4.5 wins even though we had to endure it for days.”
Las Vegas projects the Cougars to win 4.5 games this fall, one of the lowest in the Big 12 Conference.
“Four and a half wins is the number one thing on our mind right now,” he said. “We know that's total bullshit and we've proven in the last two (games) that we don't believe in it, but what we did in the two (games) before that. People still don't believe it because of that.”
A year older and wiser
Retzlaff played all but one game in the shotgun formation in high school and junior college, and the transition to Aaron Roderick's offense required him to move under center and understand and execute a complex playbook.
“The difference between last spring and this spring, and the reason I'm so excited about this year, is because last year I was trying to be the quarterback in this offense. This year, I'm 'me' in this offense.” said Retzlaff. “If you're a quarterback in this country, you know how much sense that makes.
“You feel like yourself. You're moving with your own movements. You're playing with a little bit of swagger and confidence. You feel like, 'Okay, I own this.' So it makes all the difference in the world. The outcome of this match is in my hands. ” And if you can get receivers that are doing that, you can make something happen. ”
Retzlaff threw for 648 yards and three touchdowns last season and also ran for three touchdowns, but he had six turnovers, including a game-changing 100-yard interception six against Oklahoma.
To his credit, the energetic junior showed growth both on offense and at quarterback by not throwing a single interception during spring practice.
“There's a level to this, and that's why players like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are so great. It's not because they threw the ball better than anyone else, it's because they always knew what was going on. “I knew all the possibilities,” Retzlaff said. “That's why you can get out of spring ball without an interception because you know what's going on. The speed of the game is slowing down. If you play another year in the offense, it'll happen. right.”
quarterback battle
BYU signed veteran quarterback Jerry Bohannon this offseason to compete with Retzlaff for the starting job. Bohannon missed 2023 at South Florida while recovering from shoulder surgery. He led Baylor to the Big 12 championship in 2021 after beating BYU.
“It's cool to have a guy in the (QB) room who's done it before,” Retzlaff said. “It's great to be able to bounce things off of him, but I think he could do it off of me because I was already in the offense. I love having him in the room. We're going to be able to feed off of each other a lot.”
With Ryder Burton's transfer to West Virginia, no one in the quarterback room has been there for more than a year, and surprisingly no one on the offensive staff has played quarterback. The experienced Bohannon earned seniority the moment he joined the company, but it will be even more difficult when it comes to landing a starting position.
Retzlaff is determined to spread the “good news” and express his beliefs while doing so. The Cougars will join fall camp on July 30th. Until then, he said, “it's all about working hard and building a culture. One of the best ways to build a culture is to do difficult things together.” “Training this summer is essential for the development of our team.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He is also the co-host of “Y's Guys.” ysguys.com She is also the author of the children's book “C is for Cougar.” deseretbook.com.
