Tulane Confirms Last-Minute Jake Retzlaff Update after Jon Sumrall Makes South Alabama Admission

Jake Retzlaff is donning new colors this season, and so far, it’s working out great for him. After a brilliant 23-3 victory over Northwestern last Saturday, he is gearing up for an eventful Week 2. Jon Sumrall, however, is making a change in plans for their Week 2 game against South Alabama. A new player joins him for this interesting game, given Sumrall’s history with the opponent.

Retzlaff begins his Tulane stint after a dramatic offseason, courtesy of his BYU exit. If it wasn’t for the legal controversy and the school repercussions, he was set to be the QB1 of the Cougars, after leading them to a brilliant 11-2 finish last year. Now with the Green Wave, he’s off to a great start, going 18-of-31 in 152 yards in passing, and a team high 113 yards on the ground. But in Week 2, Retzlaff will be joined by another face from the QB room.

Tulane HC announced that Retzlaff will be splitting time with QB Brendan Sullivan against South Alabama. Sullivan is back after rehabbing an injury suffered in fall camp, and he almost beat out Retzlaff for the QB1 job. Sullivan threw for 475 yards and completed 71.7% of his passes last season for the Hawkeyes. He took over Cade McNamara and started for 3 games at Iowa, but new additions to the Hawkeyes QB room forced him to look for more options.

Iowa will have FCS phenom Mark Gronowski leading the offense this season, making it difficult for Sullivan to get a starting role here. Tulane, at that time, was dealing with a crisis at quarterback. QB TJ Finley was dropped after a legal controversy, where he was charged with illegal possession of stolen things. Jake Retzlaff’s arrival and a fall camp injury impeded his ascent for the QB1 role at Tulane. Now, Brendan Sullivan will get a chance to show his skills alongside the QB.

Jake Retzlaff will likely see the majority of playing time instead of Sullivan, because of his experience. South Alabama, despite being a Sun Belt program, will be an interesting opponent for the Green Wave. The Jaguars are at a good space with Major Applewhite as HC, who has produced one 10-win season here. Sumrall, who faced South Alabama during his time at Troy, is not taking the program lightly.

Jon Sumrall recalls haunting South Alabama memory

This is the 3rd time Sumrall will be facing off against South Alabama as HC. In both those games, he defeated the Jaguars. However, he told the press that he has “respect” for his opponents, recounting one interesting game. “In 2017 at Troy, we go to LSU and beat LSU. And then the next week, we get our a– kicked by South Alabama. So, they’ve got my full attention and full respect,” he said. With 2 QBs to rely on this Week 2 matchup, Sumrall will hope to continue his record over the Jaguars this year as well.

Wommack, however, lost some of his stars to the transfer portal in the offseason. QB Gio Lopez now plays for North Carolina. Also gone are Aakil Washington, Fluff Bothwell, and Malachi Carney. South Alabama began their season against Morgan State on a rocky note, but recovered in the game to win 32-21. Sumrall enters this clash as the expected winner, given his 33-9 record as a head coach. But he knows full well that South Alabama can pull off an upset. “It was a very frustrating night, and you hate those. I’ll remember that as long as I remember some of the wins,” he added more about the 2017 loss.

Brendan Sullivan’s QB1 plans took a tun for the worse first at Iowa, and then at Tulane. However, Jon Sumrall‘s decision should come as a relief for the QB, who was an important pick for Tulane given their QB situation. The HC is keeping all his options open for the South Alabama game, knowing that the Jaguars can be a pain.