Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff has a decision to make ahead of the 2025 college football season — does he want to sign with a Group of Five program with maximum potential to start or is becoming a depth addition within the Power 4 ranks a better development?
Destination possibilities are thinning given how late this is during the process as many teams start fall camp in a matter of weeks. Retzlaff announced last week he was withdrawing from BYU, meaning he can bypass the transfer portal and find a new home quickly.
CBS Sports national college football reporter Matt Zenitz joined 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins on Wednesday via The 105 with Andrew Ivins & Cooper Petagna to discuss Retzlaff’s transfer and how the market looks approaching the new campaign.
“If I’m a College Football Playoff hopeful, I think Retzlaff is an attractive No. 2,” Ivins said. “That you can get into your fall camp and teach him the offense. He’s kind of like the insurance policy.”
Penciled in to be BYU’s returning starter this season prior to an honor code violation which was going to result in a suspension, Retzlaff is a former three-star recruit who helped lead the Cougars to an 11-2 finish last fall.
Retzlaff was responsible for 66% of BYU’s total offense and was responsible for 26 touchdowns despite not having gaudy passing numbers in a quarterback-rich Big 12.
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Zenitz doesn’t believe Retzlaff is wanting to be a No. 2.
“If he was fine with that being the case, then (he) could have just stayed put at BYU, sat out the first seven games, and then stepped in as a Power Four starting quarterback,” Zenitz said. “Clearly, this is someone who wants to go somewhere, wants to start immediately without having to sit out.”
Zenitz said landing within the Group of Five might be best for Retzlaff if he’s fixated on starting. umvlerous Group of Five programs this offseason saw their expected starting quarterbacks leave for bigger schools, including New Mexico (Devon Dampier to Utah), Liberty (Kaidon Salter to Colorado) Appalachian State (Joey Aguilar to UCLA then Tennessee), Tulane (Darian Mensah to Duke) and South Alabama (Gio Lopez to North Carolina).
Ivins mentioned that if Retzlaff was willing to be an “insurance policy” at a Power 4, Florida State would be a potential fit. The Seminoles signed former Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos to lead this offseason and are taking the field with a new offensive attack under former UCF coach Gus Malzahn.
And considering how much the Seminoles are expected to run the football at the position, it might not hurt to have another proven player back there, like Retzlaff, who had 417 yards on the ground last season.
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