Tulane Green Wave’s three-man QB battle got an uninvited guest on Thursday afternoon: the injury bug. Looking at the battle on paper, pretty sure it felt like the script was already written: Jake Retzlaff penciled in as QB1. Even coach Jon Sumrall sounded as if he was ready to ride with him. But then, from the Midwest, an Iowa transfer stormed in and made it a real fight, giving the Tulane offense something to think about. And just when that “real chance” was turning heads, Thursday’s practice put it on pause.
That’s when Brendan Sullivan, the Iowa transfer, went down with a right lower leg injury during goal-line, 11-on-11 drills. The Michigan native had been pushing hard in the QB race. But all is not lost. As Sumrall explained, early reports brought some relief. “In the middle of practice, they came over and told me ‘hey, X-ray looks fine.’ I saw him limping and I’m like ‘get him out.’ I’m good. I’ve seen him do enough right now that I didn’t need to see him fight through.” The good news: no fracture. The bad news: bad timing in a race that hinges on every rep.
Tulane’s QB room is anything but simple. Sullivan’s injury clears a temporary lane for Jake Retzlaff, the BYU transfer who has quickly earned trust with his improvisation skills. “Jake has got the ability to create plays, extend plays on his feet. He’s one of those guys that makes big throws, a lot of times it feels like in big moments. He’s doing as good a job as you could do on short time,” Sumrall said. In the same breath, he praised Kadin Semonza: “Kadin’s really good at the operational stuff. He knows where to go with the football typically, and he’s done some good things in his own right.” It’s a dilemma on three fronts. One guy wins with chaos, another with structure, and Sullivan with grit and ground game.
#Tulane QB Brendan Sullivan suffered a right lower leg injury today, but early X-rays show no significant damage.
“So far, everything looks clean. We’re waiting on a couple things, but the first report fairly positive.” #RollWave
Full Presser: https://t.co/Znd2axHlcs pic.twitter.com/AkVFoIcXP0
— Jared Paul Joseph (@JaredPJoseph) August 14, 2025
Sullivan’s résumé tells the story of a player who thrives on contact. After three seasons at Northwestern, he landed at Iowa in 2024, appearing in 10 games and starting three. His passing line, 475 yards and three TDs, wasn’t eye-popping. But he brought a dual-threat edge, rushing 47 times for 150 yards and four touchdowns. That “ground and pound” skill set is exactly why Sumrall has been intrigued. “He’s a really experienced, mature, tough hardworking dude. I love him. He’s got that mindset that he could go play linebacker. He’s a tough old school football player,” Sumrall said.
That toughness isn’t just coach-speak. Jon Sumrall pointed to a clip from Iowa’s bowl game against Missouri as the perfect snapshot of Sullivan’s style. Scrambling toward the goal line, lowering the shoulder, and colliding with a defender like a man who forgot he plays quarterback. “That play is sort of the embodiment of who he is. He’s going to leave it all on the field all the time.” It’s why his presence made this QB race far more intriguing than expected.
And for all the talk of passing mechanics, Tulane’s staff knows what Sullivan’s legs mean to the playbook. He trains with both rushers and receivers, tuning his acceleration and field vision. That extra gear turns red-zone packages into guessing games for defenses. It’s the same variable that could make him a difference-maker, if he’s healthy enough to stay in the fight. Until then, Jake Retzlaff has a chance to stretch his lead, Semonza has an opening to prove consistency wins in August, and Sullivan has to play catch-up. But there is something special about Jake, because he has competition in his own team as well as outside of it.
Not much difference between Jake Retzlaff’s and Duke QB
Jake Retzlaff is making some noise in Vegas. In a quirky twist of offseason symmetry, Retzlaff and former Green Wave QB Darian Mensah , now at Duke currently hold the same Heisman Trophy odds, sitting at +8000, per Caesars Sports. That’s 80-1 for both, putting them in the “dark horse, but watch your step” category.
It’s not every day you see two QBs with a Tulane connection popping up on the same Heisman board. For Retzlaff, it’s another odd chapter in what’s been a whirlwind year since leaving BYU. His departure clearly made waves in Provo. ESPN’s Bill Connelly just updated the SP+ rankings ahead of the 2025 season, and BYU slid from No. 27 to No. 36 after he left. That’s not exactly falling off a cliff, but it’s a noticeable drop, and you can’t help but think his exit played a role.
For Tulane fans, the story writes itself: Retzlaff’s here battling for QB1. The odds makers already have him in the national conversation, and somewhere in Durham, Mensah’s name is still tied to the Green Wave.
The post Tulane HC Announces QB Injury as Jake Retzlaff Gets Major Update on Future appeared first on EssentiallySports.
