Former BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is headed to Tulane to finish out his college football career.
Retzlaff, who left BYU’s program earlier this month, settled a civil sexual assault lawsuit against him in June, clearing the way for the quarterback to move on.
ESPN first reported on Monday that Retzlaff had verbally committed to Tulane after the school did a week of background research, “including having the university’s Title IX office vet the transfer.”
A source confirmed the news to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Retzlaff rose to national prominence a year ago as he led BYU to an 11-2 season. He capped off the year by winning the Alamo Bowl over Colorado and figured to lead the Cougars to a highly ranked national position this year.
But Retzlaff was sued in May by a woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe A.G., who alleged he assaulted her in November of 2023.
She was seeking more than $300,000 in damages.
Court documents say the two sides agreed to the dismissal “upon the merits” of the woman’s lawsuit against Retzlaff.
But the quarterback still faced discipline from BYU after claiming in court documents that he had consensual sex with the woman.
Retzlaff is now set to join a Tulane team that is in desperate need of a quarterback.
The Green Wave currently have Brendan Sullivan and Kadin Semonza in the room, but neither is a clear-cut choice for the job.
Sullivan is a two-time transfer from Northwestern and Iowa. He started three games last year for the Hawkeyes, but threw for under 500 yards in 2024.
Semonza transferred from Ball State, where he had success, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards. But the AAC will be up a level from the MAC, and Semonza wasn’t projected to start over Sullivan.
Tulane should be among the best Group of Five teams in the country this year, along with schools like Boise State. It won nine games in 2024 and won the Cotton Bowl over USC in 2022.
BYU, meanwhile, will be looking to replace Retzlaff. Freshman Bear Bachmeier joined the team this summer after committing to Stanford. The Cougars also have former Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet competing in fall camp.