Search Jake Retzlaff’s name on the internet, and you’ll be greeted by a barrage of articles regarding the starting status of the latest QB1 at an institution known for impressive quarterback play. It’s the norm for a school that takes pride in the QB position, but take a deeper look and you’ll find Retzlaff’s path to being the starter is anything but normal.
Where Did BYU QB Jake Retzlaff Play in High School?
The journey all began as Retzlaff was essentially thrown into the fire as a junior in high school after his team was being blown out by California powerhouse Mater Dei. Yet, instead of wilting under the pressure, he rose to lead the offense to two late touchdowns.
While the performance opened his coaches’ eyes, much like Retzlaff’s entire journey, it also asked him to answer the bell for his high school in a way no one could have predicted.
A native of Corona, California, Retzlaff migrated to the powerhouse school not far from his home in Corona Centennial. That performance against Mater Dei pretty much declared him the starter from then on.
Retzlaff responded well to the challenge. As mentioned, he took his team on two drives that led to two touchdowns and created a quarterback controversy. Eventually, he took over as the starter of what was previously a three-player rotation. Before the season’s end, Retzlaff threw for 1,067 yards and eight TDs while also scoring three times on the ground.
The standard expectation would be for Retzlaff to take over as the starter in his senior year, play well, amass offers, and then move on to the school of his choosing after such a promising start to his high school career. Yet, that’s when the next curve ball came for the former high school shortstop.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit, disrupting not only Retzlaff’s senior year but the entire football schedule for the state of California. Without a senior year to showcase the talent that led him to win the starting job, Retzlaff was left to make another difficult choice.
He chose to attend Golden West College in Huntington Beach. As a true freshman, Retzlaff racked up 3,302 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air. Suddenly, he was back on the map as a prospect, and with a full season of tape at his disposal, he moved to Riverside City College with his brother Reggie.
The move proved fruitful, as the duo connected 72 times for 1,258 yards and 19 touchdowns. Retzlaff’s numbers were even more attention-grabbing, as he threw for 4,596 yards and 44 TDs in 13 games while leading Riverside to the California Community College State Championship. It was the only game that he lost that season, but the buzz had already begun regarding his outstanding play.
Retzlaff was rated the top quarterback in ESPN’s Junior College rankings and the 46th player overall. In January 2023, he announced he would be leaving the sunshine and beaches of California for the mountain slopes of Provo and the BYU Cougars, where he was slated to back up transfer Kedon Slovis.
After a strong spring and a place as the backup solidified, Retzlaff was expected to redshirt to allow for some development and adjustment to the speed of Division I football. Again, a curve was thrown in his direction after Slovis was forced to have season-ending surgery after playing in eight games.
Retzlaff stepped into a role he wasn’t expecting, much like he did as a junior at Centennial. And while the Cougars didn’t win any of the games that Retzlaff started, he showed enough improvement to give him the edge going into the offseason despite BYU reloading the QB position via transfer portal and recruiting.
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As Retzlaff steps into the starting role, he brings with him the experience of having to earn his stripes in his own way after doing so at every stop until this point. It should be no surprise then that as the first-ever Jewish quarterback to start at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint owned-and-operated BYU, Retzlaff is once again making his way against the conventional.
For a player who has adapted so well to hit the curve balls life has been throwing his direction, the Big 12 may want to think twice before going after Retzlaff. After all, he’s done it by every method possible outside of one…being normal.
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