We thought nothing could top the drama in college football when Carson Beck moved out of Georgia. Then, Nico Iamaleava jumped ship from Tennessee. And now, Jake Retzlaff is at Tulane after a controversial exit from BYU. His addition to the Green Wave has significantly upped the season’s odds while putting Kalani Sitake and BYU in jeopardy, as they scramble to find a starting QB with barely any time on hand. It turns out that there was one mastermind at Tulane who was able to pull off the transfer.

For the uninitiated, Retzlaff was embroiled in a legal snag before the 2025 season, facing accusations of sexual assault from an unidentified woman. The QB and his lawyers, however, were adamant that whatever transpired between the two was consensual. This admission might have saved him from the rap of the gavel, but not from BYU’s wrath. Premarital relations are an absolute no-no in the code of conduct for BYU personnel, and Retzlaff was clearly violating it.

His career with the Cougars saw a dead end, and Retzlaff transferred out of the program before it could get worse for him. The QB will now play for Tulane, hoping to impress the staff ahead of the season. However, it seems like the Green Wave had an in on Retzlaff right from the get-go. “Retzlaff comes to Tulane with a long history with coach Jon Sumrall, who recruited Retzlaff heavily to Troy while Sumrall coached there. Retzlaff visited Troy before ultimately picking BYU out of junior college prior to the 2023 season,” Pete Thamel reported on X.

Jon Sumrall had a shining record prior to his Tulane job. At Troy, he led the program to two back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championship wins. And in his very first year with the Green Wave, he took the team to the ACC Championship game, too. Locked in for a $3 million contract until 2029, Sumrall now has an edge over other ACC programs with Jake Retzlaff’s addition. With his shining haul of more than 10,000 career yards (including his community college career), Retzlaff truly stands as an X factor for Tulane, ready to make a difference. Here’s how the move became possible for Sumrall and how Retzlaff’s fate looks at Tulane.

Jake Retzlaff’s arrival at Tulane is a big win for Jon Sumrall

Going by Thamel’s report, it looks like Sumrall and Retzlaff knew each other from at least 3 years ago. That connection resulted in a major win for Tulane. But Sumrall did not bring him over just like that. Tulane did its homework when it planned on getting the QB, especially since he was accused of rape. USA Today reports that the program’s Title IX unit was also asked for thoughts on this strategy. Receiving the all-clear from everybody, Sumrall got in the fight with other big-name programs and earned Retzlaff’s commitment.

He will have to join as a walk-on. Retzlaff’s arrival solves a huge problem for Jon Sumrall: replacing former QB Darian Mensah. Now, Retzlaff is a player who nearly led his team to the playoffs last year. Still, there was no promise of the QB1 role for him in the terms and conditions. But there’s no denying that Retzlaff has an easy advantage over everyone else in the Tulane QB room. With his shining record and experience, he will be the fix for the damage left in the wake of T.J. Finley’s stay with the program.

Retzlaff will now be part of a G5 school, and arguably the best in the group in recent years. Jon Sumrall’s long-awaited wish to coach the QB has finally been granted. It’s now up to the duo to figure out the 2025 season, which now stands a chance to go even bigger than the last one.