Jake Retzlaff is planning to leave the BYU Cougars in the wake of an impending Honor Code suspension and a disturbing lawsuit. Veteran CFB insider Pete Thamel shared the development, saying that Retzlaff has already said to coaches and fellow players about his plan to depart.
The Cougars quarterback is facing “an Honor Code suspension tied to a civil suit that alleges he raped a woman.”
Sources: BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff plans to transfer from the school and has begun informing the staff and players of his plan to leave. He’d been facing an Honor Code suspension tied to a civil suit that alleges he raped a woman. pic.twitter.com/YO5ZfooLCf
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 29, 2025
Fans over the internet were left in disbelief when Thamel broke the news.
“This is absolutely crazy,” one fan wrote. “Maybe he should focus on the legal matter rather than transferring🤷♂️”
“Interested to see if any school is willing to bring him in Nate,” one fan wasn’t so sure about Retzlaff’s future.
“Ute fans knew this forever ago,” another posted.
Will probably end up at U of Arizona.
Brent Brennan like: pic.twitter.com/Xu29Zdr7EW
— ChucklesASU (@chuckles_asu) June 30, 2025
“Which unfortunately means he probably did it and would be facing a suspension smh,” another fan started speculating.
“Under 7.5 regular season wins confirmed,” one fan projects Cougars to struggle in 2025 with Retzlaff.
“Thanks for 2024, Jake! Best of luck, you’ve got a much larger issue with the civil suit pending,” one fan took a jibe at the quarterback.
What Put Jake Retzlaff in the Crosshairs Of A Civil Lawsuit?
In May, a woman identified only as “Jane Doe A.G.” filed a civil lawsuit accusing Retzlaff of forcibly raping, strangling and biting her during an encounter at his Provo residence in November 2023. She initially failed to report under the false pretense that “victims never get justice,” according to Reuters.
However, Retzlaff’s attorney has denied the allegations, calling them “ridiculous and bizarre.” Retzlaff said the sexual encounter was consensual.
BYU has a strict policy against having premarital sex. Given that, Retzlaff has admitted doing so, he was expected to be suspended but now it seems he will no longer be with the program after breaking the Honor Code of the school.
The university has confirmed receipt of the lawsuit and will enforce Title IX procedures, but due to privacy laws, it’s remaining silent on specifics.
Retzlaff was coming off a standout season, where he led the Cougars to an 11–2 record with 2947 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He will likely find it tough to get his offer from other programs, given that he’s on the wrong side of sexual assault allegations. Meanwhile, for BYU, backup quarterbacks like McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet and Bear Bachmeier will now need to be prepared to fill the void left by Retzlaff.
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