Tulane’s Addition of Jake Retzlaff Could Get Them Back on Top of AAC

Tulane brought in a late addition to their quarterback competition that has been underway throughout the spring and summer.

BYU's starting quarterback from a season ago, Jake Retzlaff, has decided to come to New Orleans, transferring to Tulane with the reported decision to walk-on.

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With so many questions surrounding the quarterback position for Tulane, Retzlaff may be the answer.

Last season, the BYU Cougars finished 11-2 after a 9-0 start with wins over SMU, who made the College Football Playoff, and Kansas State, a team that bested the Green Wave last year. BYU also took home a decisive Alamo Bowl victory against a Colorado team flooded with talent.

Much of BYU's success in 2024 can be attributed to Retzlaff.

He threw for 2,947 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. On the ground, he added 417 yards and six scores. His best outing was the season opener against Southern Illinois in which he threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns.

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Now, Retzlaff is entering a new system and a current quarterback competition that involves Ball State transfer Kadin Semonza, Iowa transfer Brendan Sullivan and Illinois transfer Donovan Leary, who all have a head start on figuring out the Green Wave offense.

While Retzlaff's experience and performance against high quality competition should make him the favorite to win in this quarterback battle, nothing is guaranteed for the BYU transfer.

But if Retzlaff does earn the starting job and plays at the level he played last season, the ceiling of this Tulane football team increases exponentially.

Even if he does not become the starter, his presence, in all likelihood, will elevate the play of all the quarterbacks involved in this competition.

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For a Tulane team that has lost the AAC championship the last two years, the addition of Retzlaff increases the odds they can emerge as conference champions in the AAC this season and perhaps, if they handle a couple difficult out of conference matchups, find themselves in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Retzlaff had BYU on the doorstep of accomplishing that in 2024.

If he wins the starting job, the hope is he can do the same in New Orleans in 2025.

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