1 year ago
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Jake Retzlaff announced connected Friday that he's withdrawing from BYU, formally initiating his transportation process from the school.
Retzlaff, BYU's starting backmost past year, said successful an Instagram post that helium made the "difficult decision" to retreat and plans to "step away" from the BYU program. The station makes nationalist what had been expected, arsenic Retzlaff began informing his teammates and coaches of his intent to transportation successful precocious June.
According to ESPN sources, Retzlaff's way to transportation to a caller schoolhouse is not expected to travel from the NCAA transportation portal. With Retzlaff conscionable abbreviated of graduating, which would marque transportation process much traditional, helium plans to simply permission BYU and past enroll astatine a caller school.
That way is not a communal one, but there's precedent. That includes erstwhile Wisconsin antiaircraft backmost Xavier Lucas leaving schoolhouse this wintertime and enrolling astatine the University of Miami.
Retzlaff expressed his gratitude for his clip astatine BYU, saying "it has meant much to maine than conscionable football." He added that he's "excited to crook the leafage and clasp the adjacent chapter.
BYU officials mostly avoided the taxable of Retzlaff astatine Big 12 media days this week, deferring to him to marque a connection connected his adjacent move.
In a connection connected Friday, BYU athletics said: "We are grateful for the clip Jake Retzlaff has spent astatine BYU. As helium moves forward, BYU Athletics understands and respects Jake's determination to retreat from BYU, and we privation him each the champion arsenic helium enters the adjacent signifier of his career."
Retzlaff's departure comes successful the aftermath of BYU's planned seven-game suspension for usurpation of the school's Honor Code. That suspension arose aft helium was accused successful a civilian suit of raping a woman, an incidental that allegedly to person happened successful 2023.
That civil suit ended up being dismissed connected June 30, with the parties jointly agreeing to disregard with prejudice.
Retzlaff went 11-2 arsenic BYU's starting backmost successful 2024, throwing for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns. His departure leaves BYU with a three-way backmost contention this summertime to regenerate him, with nary wide favorite.
