Jake Retzlaff, former Jewish football star at Mormon university, to play for Tulane

Jake Retzlaff is embracing some new nicknames.

“BYJew” is an endearment of the past for the Jewish quarterback who used to start for Brigham Young University, the Mormon flagship in Provo, Utah.

Now, “Kosher Cannon,” “Shabbat Shotgun” and “Bayou Jew” are among the monikers mentioned by the sizeable Jewish community at Retzlaff’s new school, Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It’s a fresh start for Retzlaff, and one he wasn’t necessarily seeking until May, when he was named in a civil sexual assault lawsuit that has since been dismissed.

As a result of the lawsuit, Retzlaff announced last month that he would leave BYU after drawing a suspension for violating the school’s famously strict honor code. Retzlaff described the relationship as consensual but admitted that he had engaged in premarital sex, which BYU prohibits.

Retzlaff maintains that he loved playing for the school, despite being one of only three Jews on BYU’s predominantly Mormon campus.

“BYU was an amazing place. It made me into an amazing human being. I feel like it helped me grow in so many ways on and especially off the field,” Retzlaff said, wearing a Star of David on a chain around his neck. “It helped me connect stronger with my faith than I did before, because I was in a place where it was so faith-oriented that it was just right in front of you.”

Retzlaff drew attention for his Jewish identity at BYU, and scored a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz last year. The deal included special-edition boxes of Manischewitz matzah emblazoned with Retzlaff’s likeness. An announcement video featured Retzlaff eating and signing sheets of matzah, and talking about his Jewish upbringing.

He also spoke this year at a “Unity Summit” hosted by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism ahead of the Super Bowl in Louisiana.

The move to Tulane represents a dramatic shift in the Jewish character of his schools for Retzlaff, who grew up attending a Reform synagogue in Pomona, California.

Unlike BYU, at Tulane there are so many Jewish students — about 37%, the most at any non-Jewish university — that the school is known colloquially (and sometimes with annoyance) as “Jewlane.”

“It’s a cool deal. It’s so opposite” from BYU, Retzlaff said, speaking on Friday for the first time since arriving at Tulane about a week ago. “My faith is super important to me. So, that fact just made it that much sweeter to come here.”

Retzlaff went 11-2 as a starter for a 2024 BYU team that finished the season as one of the country’s top football programs. He declined to address the factors that led him to leave BYU, where he spent the past two years.

“I’m just worried about where my feet are,” Retzlaff said. “I’m just worried about this next chapter, being at Tulane, winning football games.”

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said the university’s administration vetted Retzlaff before clearing the way for Sumrall to bring him on. He’ll be one of multiple quarterbacks vying to fill the starting role vacated when a Tulane player was arrested and left the school last year.

“I was very transparent with the guys in the (quarterback) room. I was also very up front with Jake,” Sumrall said. “None of them were promised anything in regards to who’s going to start.”

Retzlaff said he had offers from other schools, but wanted to play for Sumrall, who had previously recruited him.

Tulane didn’t have a scholarship available for Retzlaff, but the 22-year-old said that being a walk-on suits him because he plays with a chip on his shoulder and doesn’t want to be short-sighted about money at the expense of setting himself up for long-term success.

“I know that I’m going to get what I deserve, hopefully, at the next level,” Retzlaff said. “If that means sacrificing a little bit of money on my side (now) … so what? Let’s go win football games.”