Over the past few weeks, Jake Retzlaff's departure from BYU has become one of the most interesting storylines in College Football. After nearly leading BYU to the College Football Playoff, Retzlaff was tabbed as one of the best returning quarterbacks in the Country, giving BYU a chance to win the Big 12 and make the Playoff in 2025. During a civil lawsuit against Jake Retzlaff, it was revealed that he broke BYU's Honor Code which was going to lead to him being suspended.
Instantly, Jake Retzlaff's name was thrown around as a potential transfer but, given the fact that the Spring transfer portal window is already closed, it wasn't an option. On Friday, Jake Retzlaff utilized a unique loophole, withdrawing from BYU opting to enroll at a new school rather than using the transfer portal.
Sources: Quarterback Jake Retzlaff is withdrawing from school at BYU. He still plans on transferring and is expected to take a transfer path that does not involve the NCAA Transfer portal. He plans to simply enroll at a new school. pic.twitter.com/pEsKXHXgsH
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 11, 2025
The move is the best possible way for Jake Retzlaff to play in 2025 as he can simply enroll at his next school as a walk-on and play instantly. This path is unique but, it has been used recently and was a topic of controversy as Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas withdrew from Wisconsin to end up at Miami after the Badgers wouldn't release him to the portal as he signed a revenue sharing agreement.
The biggest question now lies in where Jake Retzlaff chooses to transfer in the upcoming weeks. After passing for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 417 yards and another 6 scores, Retzlaff would've been highly sought after in the regular transfer portal market. Heading into the Summer, the vast majority of programs already know who their starting quarterback will be, and if not, they have several that they feel good about in a competition, making it tough to predict a landing spot for Jake Retzlaff.