On Thursday, BYU wrapped up the first of 15 Spring practices. The quarterback is always a top storyline at BYU, but this year's quarterback derby is undeniably the top storyline of camp. BYU has 10 quarterbacks on the roster and it's the most open competition for the starting job in over a decade. After practice, head coach Kalani Sitake announced that the race is already down to two: Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon.
After practice, both Retzlaff and Bohanon met with the media. During his interview with the media, Retzlaff mentioned that he spent time during the offseason training with John Beck. When asked what extra work he put in to prepare for the quarterback competition, Retzlaff said, "I think the easy answer to that is I live in Corona [California] which is 30 minutes from Huntington Beach, so I was out there with John Beck as much as I could when I was gone for the break...it's so fortunate that I'm able to do that and live down the road. He works out of my first junior college. It's awesome to be able to work with a guy like that. The experience he has, he's taught me so much in the short time that we've been working together and he's helping me improve in every single facet."
Beck, who famously trained Zach Wilson before he became a top pick in the NFL Draft, has worked with several BYU quarterbacks over the last few years. He has developed a reputation as one of the best quarterback trainers in the business. And he might be exactly what the doctor ordered for Jake Retzlaff.
Retzlaff was ridiculously productive at the JUCO level. As a sophomore, he threw for 4,596 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while completing 63% of his passes. However, some of his sidearm throws and unique arm angles didn't translate to the Big 12 last season. He completed just 50.4% of his passes in four starts. There were multiple misfires that stalled BYU drives and forced BYU into predictable play calling on second and long.
On one hand, Retzlaff's superpower is his ability to create and extend plays with his arm and his legs. You don't want that superpower to be corralled in the name of proper mechanics. On the other hand, however, he wasn't accurate enough in 2023. And the most logical path to more accuracy is more consistent mechanics.
That's where John Beck could play a critical role in Retzlaff's development.
Beck has mastered the art of elevating strengths in a quarterback's throwing motion while eliminating the mistakes. He knows how to strike the right balance between throwing upright in the pocket and throwing off-platform. There isn't a throw that Retzlaff can't make - he has a very strong arm. If Retzlaff wants to win the starting job, however, he has to make more throws with more consistency. There might not be a better trainer in the world than John Beck to help him accomplish that.
If Retzlaff can maintain the creativity but eliminate the inconsistency, he will exceed expectations in 2024. If he can't clean up the mistakes, he will lose his starting job to Gerry Bohanon.
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