Last week, College Football had a stunning story emerge as BYU's starting quarterback, Jake Retzlaff announced he was going to enter the transfer portal as he was going to be suspended by the Cougars after violating the school's honor code. The honor code violations stemmed from a lawsuit against Retzlaff which has since been dismissed. While the lawsuit has been dismissed, Retzlaff still faces a suspension from BYU.
One week after it was announced that Jake Retzlaff would enter the transfer portal, he has yet to actually enter his name into the transfer portal. As a Graduate Transfer, Jake Retzlaff would have been able to transfer at any point in the last few seasons but, in April, new legislation was passed that even graduate transfers would need to enter before the transfer portal window closed.
If Jake Retzlaff is going to end up playing in 2025, he'll likely need a waiver to transfer; otherwise, he may be forced to serve his suspension at BYU. A waiver isn't a given, and it may end up taking longer than expected, as South Carolina has been waiting for a waiver for Rahsul Faision since January.
There is also one other potential chance for Jake Retzlaff to enter the transfer portal but, it remains to be seen. Among the many changes the NCAA House Settlement brought is a one-time transfer portal window for "Designated Student Athletes". Athletes can be placed on the list by their schools if they would have been removed due to roster limits, were on the roster in 2024-25, or if they were recruited and assured a roster spot for this season.
The hurdle for Jake Retzlaff is the fact that the BYU administration would have to agree and place him on the Designated Student Athlete list. If the administration feels that he needs to serve his punishment, they could keep him off of the list which would leave Retzlaff relying on getting a waiver from the NCAA.
If Jake Retzlaff is able to secure a waiver or is placed on the Designated Student Athlete list, it will make for a fascinating storyline this Summer. Jake Retzlaff is coming off of an impressive season at BYU and could easily draw some serious interest from programs that need a quarterback. Among the potential landing spots for Retzlaff if he transfers are programs like Tennessee, Stanford, Alabama, Maryland, and UNLV, among others.