Former BYU QB, Jake Retzlaff, was supposed to be entering Tulane’s opener against Northwestern with a new playbook and ambitions, surrounded by a new roster fam. But instead of excitement and pump, he enters the Green Wave trenches with grief heavy on his shoulders, as he deals with a personal tragedy with his very own ‘man’s best friend’.

Retzlaff took to Instagram, to post a story and vent out his grief. “RIP to the freakin best dog,” he captioned, sharing a beautiful collage, painted with sweet memories, leaving behind an aching void. In one frame, the two of them are cuddled up on the brown sofa, while another photo shows the cream-furred buddy swimming across in the water, clutching a frisbee between his teeth. A black and white shot captures him in a nostalgic side-pose, full of quiet charm. And the next? Our buddy is beaming with pure glee.

Losing a furry companion is already so tragic; it keeps you fixated on those memories. Now that happening before a big game? Unthinkable. But even after the stinging loss, Retzlaff has to keep going. After transferring from the BYU Cougars to his new turf at Tulane, he has to prove his mettle.

“BYU was an amazing place,” said Retzlaff, who is an ardent Jew, and reminisces about his former alma mater. “It made me into an amazing human being. I feel like it helped me grow in so many ways on and especially off the field. It helped me connect stronger with my faith than I did before, because I was in a place where it was so faith-oriented that it was just right in front of you.”

Can Jake Retzlaff make it up to Tulane’s QB1?

Last season, Jake Retzlaff made some noise, steering from behind the centre, as he helped the BYU Cougars to a tight 18-15 victory against SMU. He passed for 202 yards and rushed for 35 against the Mustangs after sitting out the majority of his career. Overall, he concluded his season with more than a decent 2,947 passing yards and 20 touchdowns, leading BYU to an 11-win campaign. Not to forget the marquee bowl game win against the Colorado Buffs. One would assume he would stay put with BYU, but some serious sexual assault allegations against him, which were later dismissed by the court, put an end to his time with the Cougars.

But his fresh beginning at Tulane is not a cake walk. HC Jon Sumrall welcomed 60 new faces this off-season. His next aim? “I’m just worried about this next chapter, being at Tulane, winning football games,” he said per AP. He is not on a scholarship, but rather a walk-on player. The reason? He plays with a chip on his shoulder and does not want money to cloud his long-term goals. For him, it’s the ball that counts the most, with winning as his ultimate goal. Welcoming the heat, he has to battle with three other transfer QBs for the coveted QB1 position. Kadin Semonza from Ball State, Donovan Leary from Illinois, and Brendan Sullivan from Iowa. Not to forget the other five starters from last season’s 9-5 unit. So, the QB room is stacked.

Yes, he can be considered the most experienced QB in the locker room, but the challenges are not limited to outperforming others. It’s also about adapting to a new rulebook, a new offense, and most importantly, a factor completely out of his bounds. The oppressive heat of South Louisiana.

So, when is the final QB1 reveal? Well, Coach Sumrall clearly has some interesting plans for sure.”I will probably name a starter at 10:59 a.m. on game day (Northwestern) when we play at 11,” said the head coach. There you go. So, does he accept the challenge? “No matter what, this is a new chapter in my life,” Retzlaff said per AP. “I’m excited to attack it and make the most of it.”