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BYU Coach Breaks Silence on Jake Retzlaff’s Controversial Transfer

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 11:10 AM ET

The BYU Cougars are coming off an impressive 2024 season, and with Jake Retzlaff at quarterback, they were preparing for what was expected to be another fun campaign this year in the Big 12, hoping to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

And then plans changed.

In May of this year, a woman filed a civil lawsuit accusing Retzlaff of raping her during a November 2023 encounter at his apartment. He denied the allegations, stating the encounter was consensual. The case has since been dismissed and charges dropped. However, BYU imposed a seven-game suspension for Retzlaff, who admitted in the legal proceedings to having premarital sex, which violates the school's strict honor code.

This led Retzlaff, one of the top QBs in the conference, to announce that he intended to transfer from BYU on June 29, less than three months from the start of the season.

To this point, Retzlaff has still not officially entered the transfer portal or announced a transfer destination, but reportedly still plans to. Meanwhile, BYU is in a tough spot as they prepare for their coming season with a change at the most important position on the field.

On Tuesday morning at Big 12 Media Day, head coach Kalani Sitake addressed the situation publicly for the first time.

"We love Jake and appreciate everything he’s done for us, but I’ll let him make statements about his situation," Sitake said, via ESPN's Pete Thamel.

What happens next will be interesting to see. Whether or not Retzlaff ends up entering the portal or not is the first domino to fall. Should he transfer at this late date, he could seek a waiver from the NCAA for immediate eligibility, or declare himself a Designated Student Athlete (DSA) where, under new NCAA rules, he would be allowed eligibility in the late transfer window. BYU would have to be compliant with this method.

Retzlaff has until August 5 to either get a waiver or be declared a DSA to maintain eligibility for the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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