Getting to know Jake Retzlaff: BYU Football's Newest Quarterback
Good news continues to flow from the BYU football program, as the university announced the signing of quarterback Jake Retzlaff from Riverside City College (RCC) last week. Retzlaff is ranked the top junior college quarterback in the nation by 247 Sports and ESPN, and has the talent, production, and charisma to back that up.
Nothing has come easy in Retzlaff’s recruitment, besides, of course, playing quarterback. Retzlaff attended Corona Centennial High School, which has produced a long line of Power Five quarterbacs such as Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez and Stanford’s Tanner McKee. Retzlaff was poised to be next in line before the pandemic shortened his senior season to just five games. With the season went the bulk of Retzlaff’s recruiting opportunities.
Retzlaff bet on himself by going the junior college route where he put up a gaudy 7,898 yards, 67 TDs, 19 INTs to go along with 15 TDs on the ground in his two seasons and Golden West College and RCC. It was only a matter of time before the FBS ranks started to take notice. Retzlaff was hearing from schools like Hawaii, UTEP, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Liberty, but the something set BYU apart when Coach Aaron Roderick stepped onto RCC’s campus early last summer. “You see the big Y on the coach’s chest and you’re like ‘Ok that’s some serious quarterback football right there.’” Retzlaff recalls, “I knew it was a really quarterback friendly system going into the recruitment process. You can really excel as a QB there. ARod came out to watch me throw and I guess he liked what he saw.”
Cougar fans are going to fall in love with Retzlaff the moment he steps on the field at BYU. Retzlaff plays a free-flowing, improvisational style of football which has become a staple of BYU quarterbacks under Aaron Roderick. He’s modeled his game after childhood hero Aaron Rodgers and refined it on the baseball field. “My playing style, and especially the arm angles come from my baseball background at shortstop. Being able to release the football from any point is helpful in getting around defenders, but stuff like escaping the pocket and running left and throwing right and vise versa is what I’m good at and I’m excited to bring that here.”
Retzlaff enrolled at BYU where he is going through common first year experiences like getting settled into his house and trying to navigate the convoluted college campus. “I probably look lost half the time, but I think I’ve figured it out. I hope I don’t get lost again,” he chuckled. “The people here are great and the whole program has been super helpful.” He mentioned receivers like Chase Roberts and Hobbs Nyberg have played big roles in making the transition easier. Living with three transfers has ultimately helped him take a deep breath and realize he’s not alone in adjusting to the change of scenery.
But don’t let the first day of school jitters fool you, Retzlaff is here to compete on day one. “I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity. Something I live by is 'stay patient and never settle' I’m going to stay patient. I know I’m going to have an opportunity to come in and compete and I’m going to go after that spot. I’m not going to settle.”
Off the field, the BYU faithful will be endeared as much by his personality as much as his abilities under center. “I’m a little more laid back than what people would expect from me as a quarterback. I'm a really chill guy who is really goofy at times,” he explained. “When people see me they are going to know I’m having a lot of fun and that I have a lot of passion for this game. My goal is that at the end of the day I have more fun than anybody else. You are going to see a lot of smiles during the good and keeping my head up in the bad as I get ready for the next play. Overall, this game is really fun for me, and I have a lot of love for it.”
Jake Retzlaff is built like a BYU quarterback in every way. His confidence and charisma radiate in every conversation and his talent pops of the screen with every on-field rep. At the end of the day, he knows what he came to BYU to do. With a sly grin and wringing hands, he concluded, “Cougar nation, let’s go win ourselves a Big 12 championship.”
For the full audio interview with Jake Retzlaff, follow the link below.
