Jake Retzlaff botched his first play against Northwestern, failing to get close enough to Maurice Turner for a simple handoff before improvising a 1-yard run on an unplanned keeper.
He spent the rest of Saturday proving that mistake was a one-off, showing just how well he had handled the Herculean task of picking up an offense in less than 40 days.
Never mind his 265 total yards in the 23-3 season-opening victory, which included becoming the first Green Wave quarterback to rush for 100 in a game since Shaun King versus BYU in the 1998 Liberty Bowl. Even more impressive was the way he minimized mistakes and made his teammates feel comfortable around him with little time on task in New Orleans.
“Jake’s a dog,” nickelback Javion White said after Retzlaff’s no-interception, one-sack performance. “He works so hard, and he’s probably one of the coolest teammates ever. We go out to eat all the time. He’s already one of my best friends on the team, and he just got here.”
The secret to Retzlaff’s success is his passion for football. Facing a seven-game suspension at BYU entering his final year for a violation of the school’s student honor code — he admitted to premarital sex after being accused of sexual assault in a civil suit that was dismissed in June — he gambled that he could earn a starting job elsewhere.
After choosing Tulane in late July, he embarked on a nearly 24-7 crash course to get up to speed, flying to New Orleans while his car was shipped so he could pore over the playbook for hours and hours with offensive analyst/quarterbacks assistant Collin D’Angelo before preseason camp started.
A track record of success — he threw for 4,596 yards and 44 touchdowns at California junior college Riverside City in 2022 and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention last year after BYU went 11-2 — would have meant nothing without intense preparation.
“I’ve got a pretty decent addiction to this game,” he said after his third preseason practice. “I love football. I love being out there with the guys. It’s the ultimate team sport. There’s 22 different body types out there playing 11 different positions. It’s really cool just to see these guys come together and make plays on both sides of the ball.”
The payoff for those long days and nights in the past month came last Saturday. Playing in front of his girlfriend and family members who flew in from places like California, Florida and New York, he led a touchdown drive on his opening possession and helped Tulane stay comfortably in front of Northwestern.
“It was an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “It’s been a long offseason, so there’s nothing like that first game, nothing like taking that first hit. It just feels good to get back in the rhythm of things. It was awesome to be out there with the guys. Seeing them make plays all around was fun.”
He will start again when Tulane (1-0) plays South Alabama (1-0) on Saturday in Mobile, Alabama (6 p.m., ESPN+). Coach Jon Sumrall expects Retzlaff to clean up a few of the off-target throws he made against Northwestern and display more touch after putting too much zip on many of them, but he liked the way he commanded the offense, made plays with his feet and remained poised despite multiple drops by his receivers.
“Our misses in the throw game weren’t bad decisions,” Sumrall said. “He showed a competitiveness. He’s got a little something about him — a little grit and toughness.”
Tom Craft, who coached Retzlaff at Riverside City and was at San Diego State from 2002-05, said he thinks the Wave will unlock the full potential he showed in his prolific 2022 season. His yards, touchdowns and completion percentage (63.3%) at Riverside City were better than at his first junior college (Golden West) or BYU, when he completed 57.9% last year while throwing for 2,947 yards.
“They tried to manage him way too much at BYU,” Craft said. “It looks like Tulane is a lot more wide open with him, and they shouldn’t hold back because he’s capable of doing that. As they get used to what Jake can do, they’ll be more aggressive. He has a quick release and can throw from the pocket really well. I would have loved to have coached him at San Diego State because I think he could be a Heisman Trophy candidate.”
Retzlaff’s 69-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw late in the second quarter was Tulane’s longest run since Tyjae Spears gained 70 yards against Central Florida in November of 2022 and the longest scoring jaunt since Spears went 75 yards earlier that season against South Florida. Sumrall said he knew Retzlaff was a good athlete, but no one foresaw that sprinting ability as he outran the defense.
“He’s got functional speed,” Craft said. “I’m not comparing him in any way with Jerry Rice, but he wasn’t the fastest receiver and he ran away from people.”
Retzlaff’s ease in what could have been an uncomfortably late arrival was apparent right away. He befriended the three transfer quarterbacks already on campus—Sullivan, Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary—hung out with teammates even as he worked overtime to learn the offense and made sure not to come on too strong. Retzlaff and White went out to eat four times in the past few weeks in search of the best burger in town.
“You have to assume leadership without pushing other people,” Retzlaff said. “Leadership starts with trust and relationships, so you have to be able to build those relationships and that trust first with guys.”
His method worked.
“What impressed me was how fast he was able to adjust here,” said wide receiver Omari Hayes, who caught nine passes in the opener. “I arrived here in January and I just got good knowing the offense now. Him being able to do that in less than a month is amazing.”
His positive yet competitive demeanor is evident, too.
“He’s always smiling and always happy,” said tight end Justyn Reid, who caught Retzlaff’s first touchdown pass with the Wave. “He has that little switch. You can tell when he’s out there, he’s in kill mode. It makes you just get fired up and want to make that play for him. He might throw a bad pass, but you don’t see his head down. He’s really that engine, bringing it every play.”
