Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff had been accused of sexual assault while with the Cougars in a suit that later was dismissed.
Former Brigham Young quarterback Jake Retzlaff has found a landing spot at Tulane.
ESPN reported the move on July 21.
The senior played one season for the Cougars and quickly developed a knack for rallying his team late in games. He passed for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.
BYU won six straight games, which put them at the top of the Big 12 at the time. Among the wins was a 38-35 win over Oklahoma State in which Retzlaff threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Darius Lassiter with 10 seconds left for the decisive points.
BYU was one of four teams that finished tied atop the conference at 7-2, but ASU and Iowa State earned berths in the conference title game through tiebreakers. BYU went on to throttle Colorado 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl.
Retzlaff's abrupt departure from BYU was the result of some off-the-field adversity. He was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault, though the case later was dismissed and he had denied all charges. Despite that, he was facing a seven-week suspension for violating the school's "honor" code, which prohibits premarital sex. Retzlaff had said that an encounter with the woman was consensual.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake was asked about the situation at Big 12 media day on July 8, and he hedged on the topic, saying it was up to Retzlaff to address his future when he saw fit. The quarterback later did so on social media three days later.
Retzlaff had to go an unconventional route because the transfer portal had closed and he was just short of earning his degree. He had to formally withdraw from the school and enroll at Tulane, pursuing a spot on the team as a "walk-on."
Retzlaff embraced his role as one of the few Jewish students at the Provo school that is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, talking frequently about it with local and national media.
That leaves BYU with a void at the position. Among the candidates is Treyson Bourguet, the younger brother of former ASU quarterback Trenton Bourguet.
Tulane, which competes in the American Athletic Conference, is coming off a 9-5 showing, which included a 7-1 record in the conference. Tulane's starter Darian Mensah hit the transfer portal and ended up at Duke, while his backup Ty Thompson graduated.
Brendan Sullivan, a transfer from Iowa who alsopreviously played at Northwestern, had been pegged as the starter in preseason publications.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff finds new home
Category: General Sports
