College football just got its latest big story. Players are still making moves across programs, and BYU is dealing with an extremely major blow. The Cougars will be losing their starting quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, two months before the season begins. A saga involving a lawsuit and consequences surrounds the QB, who is clearing out from the Provo campus. The timing of this move and its impact stand a chance to affect BYU’s famed rivalry with Utah and the Cougars’ 2025 run as a whole.
Retzlaff has completed spring ball and was going to lead the Cougars’ offense this season. However, he has already packed his bags and is all set to move out of BYU. After getting involved in a lawsuit accusing the QB of sexual assault, he is facing major punishment from the program. He is likely to face a seven-game suspension, but it looks like Retzlaff is taking off without facing that severe blow. Because of his departure, the Cougars are left without their most important player. This threatens to significantly affect their long-standing rivalry with Utah.
And not only that, it is going to severely hamper BYU in their entire season. Utes insider JT Wistrcill predicts BYU losing its edge because of this major, major blow. He said in a June 30 episode of Locked On Utes, “He was going to be the starter… But it’s hard for me to look at BYU and go, ‘Hey, this is a Big 12 contender without the guy that we, at one point, projected to be their starting quarterback.’ So to me, that’s, I just don’t see BYU contending.” In 2024, BYU missed the playoffs by a small margin, finishing 11-2. Retzlaff contributed to that record. HC Kalani Sitake was going to count on him to continue that momentum.
PROVO, UT – OCTOBER 18: Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) during a game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and BYU Cougars on October 18, 2024, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Boyd Ivey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In the Holy War rivalry, Wistrcrill thinks Utah has now gained an automatic advantage, especially when it comes to the quarterback. “Based on his track record at the P4 level, Jake Retzlaff’s a better quarterback. I get that… The biggest takeaway from Retzlaff transferring out and not being involved in the Cougars from a Utah perspective has to be that I look at Utah, and I think they will now—they should be ranked higher than BYU to me. I just don’t see this Cougars team doing what they did last year,” the host said. This means that Devon Dampier, the Utes’ QB, will finally lead the team to a win against BYU.
Dampier is a former Mountain West phenom. He has a total of 3,934 yards and led the conference in total offense. Last season, he rushed for 1,166 yards, the third highest in the MW conference, tallying at least 100 in 6 games. All of that power will now transfer to Utah, where he will make his debut this season. And with Retzlaff out of the picture, Dampier can continue with the Utes’ dominance over BYU, which stands at 9-1 from 2010. The former BYU quarterback, who is a much more established player than Dampier, will carry a significant blot in his otherwise stellar career because of the lawsuit.
How Jake Retzlaff’s departures set the stage for a new QB1 race at BYU
Jake Retzlaff was a trailblazing figure at BYU the minute he signed with the program. He became the school’s first-ever Jewish quarterback, since the school is sponsored by the Latter-day Saints. And because of its religious affiliation, it does not condone premarital relations among its students. Retzlaff admitted to being intimately involved with the complainant during the lawsuit’s proceedings. Naturally, the school was looking to inflict the harsh punishment of a seven-game suspension.
The lawsuit has just been dismissed by the court. But the reality of the situation still stands. “He admitted to having premarital sex, and that is a violation of BYU’s honor code. So it has now been widely reported that he was going to be suspended seven games on the season. That’s barring if he would have even been able to play this season. So either way, he was going to hit the transfer portal,” Wistrcill highlighted. His career at BYU was staring at a sudden end, even with the possibility of the judge quashing the allegations against him.
Retzlaff’s departure leaves Sitake with the options of McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier. All of them have their pros and cons, with inexperience being the top concern among the three of them. Hillstead, a transfer from Utah State, has 1062 yards and 11 TDs but an alarming number of interceptions, which stand at 8. He also struggles with escapability, having been sacked on 23% of pressures in his previous stint. Bachmeier stands as the other likely winner of this new QB1 race. He transferred from Stanford after already being part of the race there and practiced in first-team reps.
Sitake had designed the reps for his QBs differently. Retzlaff, who racked up 2,947 yards and 20 TDs last year, was taking first-team reps. But now with his trump card gone, Sitake not only has to scramble to find a new replacement. He has to rebuild his strategies from scratch to hopefully continue what he began last year.
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