Pete Nakos Gives Insight Into Why Jake Retzlaff Chose Tulane

The Tulane Green Wave football team dominated the headlines in college football this week with the addition of former BYU Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff.

The chance to add a starting-caliber quarterback this late in the cycle is a rarity, and the Green Wave’s quarterback room just jumped to a higher pedigree with the addition of Retzlaff.

How did Tulane manage to land Retzlaff, who suddenly became one of the most intriguing targets on the market?

Pete Nakos with On3 spoke exclusively with Tulane On SI about Retzlaff’s process, which had the program in the driver’s seat.

Simply, the Green Wave offers both an opportunity to seriously compete for a College Football Playoff spot and a path to legitimately start by the end of the season.

“It came as no surprise to me that Tulane ended up being the final destination for him,” Nakos said.

There were a lot of other Group of Five programs that coveted Retzlaff, but none could nail both of those sticking points, like Tulane.

However, there’s no guarantee Retzlaff will start, and that was made clear to him—though the staff will help him get as far along as they can.

There’s a strong chance he won’t be assimilated to the program and playbook by Week 1, but that doesn’t rule out a shot of taking over the job in conference play.

Moreover, it overlooks the addition of Brendan Sullivan from the Iowa Hawkeyes, who also has experience and excites the coaching staff.

“They’re really excited about having him [Retzlaff] available to win games in conference play,” Nakos said. “And what it could look like and mean for Tulane this season with Sullivan and Retzlaff both playing a serious amount of football.”

Nakos isn’t sure how that all may look, and neither may the coaches. Both Sullivan and Retzlaff, but especially Sullivan, have a propensity for running the football, and that could lead to a lot of creativity.

“From talking to some sources, it's clear that they're really excited about bringing two veteran guys who have experience running the football, who know what college football is all about, and who should be able to assimilate and make an impact at Tulane this season,” Nakos said.

Nakos believes the Green Wave has one of the toughest schedules in the country because of how they start non-conference play.

Retzlaff gives them a completely different sense of quarterback depth and a considerable difference in what the team can and can’t do this year.

Nakos still thinks Sullivan has a legitimate chance to start, but that the addition of Retzlaff alleviates any big-time concerns about quarterback play in the room.

“I think those two put together really fill in the hole left by Darian Mensah that, even in going into spring ball, I think was still a serious concern,” Nakos said.

None of this would’ve been possible without the established relationship head coach Jon Sumrall made with Retzlaff when he tried to recruit him to the Troy Trojans in 2022.

“It was made very clear to me early on that Jake and Jon had this relationship,” Nakos said. “Jake probably doesn't end up at Tulane if he and Jon don't meet when he's trying to recruit him at Troy a couple of years ago. Credit to Jon Sumrall for getting this done.”

Nakos shared that Sumrall reached out to Retzlaff when he was suspended from BYU a few weeks ago, ultimately leading to his withdrawal.

Sumrall made it clear that Retzlaff could lean on him over the last few weeks, regardless of if he ended up at Tulane or not.

“I think that put Tulane in a good spot from the get-go,” Nakos said.

Whether he starts in Week 1 or waits behind an exciting option like Sullivan, Retzlaff's arrival elevates the Green Wave's season goals.

For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.