Jake Retzlaff didn’t want to leave BYU, but he is happily turning heads at Tulane. The former Cougar quarterback is expected to start for the Green Wave against Northwestern in the season-opener on Aug. 30.
Facing a seven-game suspension for violating the school’s honor code, Retzlaff opted out of Provo to spend his last full year of eligibility on the football field. He impressed Tulane in his arrival, and he impressed BYU’s Chad Lewis in the wake of his departure.
“That was a difficult situation,” Lewis told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. Retzlaff led the Cougars to an 11-2 season last year and a No. 13 ranking in the final AP top-25 poll. In his departure note on Instagram, Retzlaff expressed his gratitude for BYU and the people who have influenced his life. When he addressed the media at Tulane for the first time since his transfer, he doubled-down on his love for the Cougars and Lewis took note.
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“How impressive was it when he started talking about Kalani (Sitake) and his teammates and the people here?” said Lewis, a BYU hall of fame tight end and current senior associate athletic director over development. “Hats off to Jake, because you have 32 NFL head coaches watching, 32 GMs, 32 NFL staffs, they know he’s in a difficult situation and what did he do with it? I felt like he stood up like a man, took the high road and the way he talked about it, I think everyone of those people just went, ‘Check,’ that’s a character guy right there. So, Jake, nice job!”
Lewis, who caught 111 passes for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns at BYU (1993-96) and had 229 receptions for 2,316 yards and 23 touchdowns in the NFL (nine seasons), has watched closely how the Cougars kept steady while maneuvering through Retzlaff’s rough summer.
He believes it reflects how head coach Sitake goes about his business.
“I’m so impressed with Kalani’s LaVell-like stability. It’s very difficult to build culture. Everyone is trying to build it,” Lewis said. “They write books on culture. If everyone is trying to build culture, how come so few can do it?
“It’s remarkable to me,” he continued. “Look what Kalani has done, putting together his staff, I think they are exceptional. Last year’s bowl game was an example of that. I think there was a lot of trepidation for people getting ready for that game and we got into that game and what they did was impressive.”
No. 17 BYU hammered No. 23 Colorado 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl in front of the largest television audience to witness a Cougar football game in modern history. The win set BYU up for an expected encore — and even without Retzlaff, Lewis believes the Cougars are prepared to strike again.
“There is a quiet confidence that always comes with Kalani and his teams and that is difficult to get,” Lewis explained. “You can get bravado. You can get fake ‘We are going to kill everybody,’ but what you have is a very tough, very good football team and they have this quiet Kalani confidence — both humble and confident — it’s both ‘I’m gonna rip your face off and I’m going to lift you up the next play.’
“It’s a unique combination that he brings to the table, I love the way he does it,” Lewis continued. “He thinks differently from most people I’ve ever met. I love listening to him, hanging out with him and talking to him. I love his heart and soul that he brings to the guys, and I love talking to this team and hearing how much they love him.
“Why do they love him? They love him because he speaks their language. They love him because he’s tough when he needs to be tough and he’s funny when he needs to be funny. He has this unique package. I love the way they talk about him.”
Breaking in a freshman quarterback adds an unexpected twist to the season that begins one week from Saturday against Portland State (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).
“I’m not afraid of Bear (Bachmeier) going in there and putting his big body on the line,” Lewis said. “He’s a big, strong, fast dude (6-foot-2, 230 pounds). I’m not going to compare him to Taysom Hill because no one can — but he’s got a lot of Taysom Hill in him.”
“I would love to have a senior quarterback who has won the national championship three years in a row coming to lead our team. That would be sweet,” he said. “What I hope we have is a bunch of guys that are willing to have as much fun as they possibly can on game day and remember what the coaches have coached them to do. I hope they cut it loose, light up the scoreboard and make things happen.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.
