One of the best storylines in university gridiron because the halfway level of the 2024 season approaches has been the scorching begin by BYU. The Cougars sit at 5-0 of their second yr of Big 12 competitors heading right into a Week 7 dwelling conflict in opposition to Arizona.
BYU was no stranger to triumph as an unaffiliated crew, and really that is the Cougars third occasion within the final 5 seasons commencing the marketing campaign 5-0, however the 2024 season strikes a definite chord contemplating BYU went 5-7 final yr. Much of its early success will be attributed to the stellar play by quarterback Jake Retzlaff, the only Division l beginning quarterback of Jewish perception.
Retzlaff's journey to changing into the beginning sign caller for the Cougars has been something however orthodox. Earlier this week, Retzlaff and people nearest and dearest sat down with CBS Sports Network for an Inside College Football function to deliberate a spread of topics, together with his Jewish perception and why he relocated to BYU.
“I didn't know what to think, to be honest with you,” Retzlaff acknowledged when questioned about coming to BYU as somebody with Jewish perception. “Like I didn't know what I was getting into. … And what I didn't realize is how much the belief would actually benefit me. I thought it was just something that would be lingering around, but how much it benefited me is something that was like a great surprise that I got to really, you know, embrace when I got to BYU and my time at BYU is just because everything is so centered around belief, it just allows you to become stronger and grow in your belief.”
Retzlaff‘s journey to BYU has been distinct. The Los Angeles native attended two junior faculties in Southern California earlier than transferring to the Big 12 program forward of the 2023 season. He lastly acquired his alternative as an FBS beginning quarterback final autumn when former Cougars beginning sign caller Kedon Slovis went down with an damage in opposition to West Virginia.
From that time on, Retzlaff has affirmed himself as BYU's beginning sign caller. He commenced the ultimate three video games final season earlier than securing the beginning function in fall camp over former Baylor and USF quarterback Gerry Bohanon, who missed everything of final season because of damage.
Retzlaff has accomplished 61.2% of his tosses for 1,208 yards and 12 touchdowns within the opening 5 video games. With victories over SMU, Kansas State and Baylor already on the file, BYU is firmly within the working to clinch the automated invitation to the 12-team College Football playoff by successful the Big 12. The Cougars are one in every of 5 squads within the convention (with Iowa State, Texas Tech, Colorado and West Virginia being the others) to have a flawless file in convention competitors.
Retzlaff was rated the No. 2 overall JUCO quarterback by 247Sports and dedicated to BYU over curiosity from different squads akin to New Mexico State, UTEP, and Hawaii. What attracted Retzlaff to BYU, in his personal phrases, was the success the employees had with current sign callers Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall. Wilson was chosen No. 2 by the New York Jets within the 2021 NFL Draft, whereas Hall was chosen within the fifth spherical two years later.
“(As I) looked into BYU deeper, looked into the team, looked into the schedule, looked into the big 12, it was attractive from the start,” Retzlaff talked about. “It was like, okay, that's the top university gridiron in the country. And so I want to go play there.”
On maybe his closing stretch of gridiron, Retzlaff was additionally drawn to the football-only mentality at BYU.
“We know that it'll be easy to stay focused on gridiron because there's no real distractions in Provo around the school or anything like that. You got to go find distractions away from here in order to be distracted,” he talked about. “And so we knew that I'd be focused on school and gridiron the whole time I was here. And like that was ideal, particularly thinking about where do you want to go to university, where you want to excel in university? It's like, let's go get a degree and play gridiron without any of the outside nonsense going on.”
Steve Retlaff was initially apprehensive when his son made the selection to the transfer from the comforts of Southern California to Provo, Utah. The elder Retzlaff was swiftly reassured by his son that he was making the right alternative.
“Jake is a Southern California kid, grew up going to the beach, hanging out, having fun, so I was more than concerned,” Steve Retzlaff acknowledged. “Just straight. Not gridiron wise, just father wise. What do you want to do, Jake? Do you know what you're getting involved with? Do you know about this? You know about that? That this is a no-joke community. And his best friend in high school was a Mormon kid. I said, so it's a little bit different than you think.”
Steve added later, “He was really single minded about why he wanted to come (to BYU). That's the place that can make me become the best gridiron player I can become.”
Retzlaff was requested how his worship has modified in a LDS neighborhood, particularly juggling the function of QB1.
“It's definitely hard and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss a single Shabbat service,” he talked about. “and so I just find sanctuary, as corny as it sounds, on the field.”
Retzlaff continued:
“Somebody asked me last year about the Sandy Koufax story on how he sat out during the High Holy Days in the World Series, the biggest stage in baseball. And he ended up coming back and winning the game in Game 7 and winning the World Series for the Dodgers. But and they asked, like, would you do something similar? Like, if we had a game on Yom Kippur, would you sit out? And I'm like, I can't see myself doing that because on the field is where I find so much sanctuary, where I where I find so the feeling of God behind me and what I'm doing.”
Yom Kippur is that this Saturday, Oct. 12, when BYU hosts Arizona.
With the highlight on him and his crew, the youthful Retzlaff has a objective of offering extra visibility to athletes of Jewish perception and aspires to inspire the subsequent era of (quarterbacks) and gridiron gamers to dream huge.
“I feel like I'm here for a reason,” Retzlaff acknowledged. “I'm on the stage for a reason. I get to go play out there on television, and hopefully somewhere there's a Jewish kid watching (thinking) I can do that too. There's not a lot of Jewish athletes at a high level. So (being) able to show one kid, that's enough for me. That's enough to be out there every Saturday to do that, to get one kid inspired to do something better than he might have thought he had. Show people that there's not the limits that you think you have to kind of break the stereotypes.”
BYU is presently forecasted because the Big 12 victor, which might give the Cougars a first-round bye within the College Football Playoff.
