It’s been a crazy few days for BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff.
Reports circulated Sunday that the football player would be leaving Provo following a violation of the school’s honor code. An anonymous woman had filed a lawsuit against Retzlaff in Utah court in May alleging rape; sexual intercourse of any kind before marriage is a violation of BYU’s strict honor code.
On Monday, the court granted a joint request by both parties to drop the case. Each party will cover their own attorney’s fees. And Retzlaff will still try to play his one remaining season of college football elsewhere.
Retzlaff, 22, rose to national prominence last season as “BYJew,” the face of the football program of a historically Mormon student body. Ahead of Hannukah, he signed an NIL deal with Manischewitz to promote their matzo. The co-captain threw for nearly 3,000 yards, notched 20 touchdowns, and got the win over ranked Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. He had been participating in summer workouts with the team before he found out about the suspension late last week, and began sharing his decision to transfer.
The complaint against the quarterback claimed he strangled and raped the anonymous woman in November 2023, and that Provo police discouraged her from moving forward with an investigation. The police department denied this account to Front Office Sports. On Friday, Retzlaff submitted a legal filing admitting to “consensual” sex with the woman.
On Sunday, the Salt Lake Tribune first reported the quarterback anticipated a seven-game suspension and intended to transfer. Later that day, Deseret News reported Retzlaff already knows where he’s going, to a school their source described as “in desperate need of an experienced college quarterback.”
“We live in a society where individuals are supposed to be deemed innocent unless proven guilty, and I would imagine other schools will be very interested in accepting him as a transfer if they value his services,” NIL lawyer Darren Heitner tells Front Office Sports.
Now that the woman removed her suit, Retzlaff is neither guilty nor not guilty, but formerly accused of rape. It’s a gray area that Heitner says “absolutely” gives a school the green light to pursue the quarterback.
Retzlaff wouldn’t be the first high-profile quarterback to announce a late departure this offseason. Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava surprised the college football world by announcing his exit in April for UCLA.
Representatives for Retzlaff, the plaintiff, and BYU did not respond to requests for comment.
