BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff plans to leave the school, as sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday. He is facing a potential suspension after admitting to having premarital sex, which goes against the school’s honor code. This issue came up in his response to a civil lawsuit claiming he raped a woman in 2023.
Retzlaff met with school officials on Friday and learned that he could face a seven-game suspension, according to sources who spoke with ESPN. He has started to inform staff and teammates about his decision to transfer.
Recently, Retzlaff had been training and participating in summer workouts with the team, which is currently on break until July 7.
In light of Retzlaff’s possible absence, BYU’s coaching staff has increased practice for the three backup quarterbacks: McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier.
Last month, a woman filed a civil lawsuit accusing Retzlaff of rape, strangulation, and biting her in November 2023. In response to this lawsuit filed on Friday, Retzlaff’s lawyer denied these claims but stated that Retzlaff did have consensual sex with the woman.
The response showed that Retzlaff and the woman exchanged playful text messages for months after their meeting and described the civil lawsuit as an attempt at extortion, claiming that Retzlaff became an NFL prospect about a year later.
However, the lawsuit tells a different story.
Both the complaint and the response agree that Retzlaff and the woman met through social media, which led to her visiting his apartment to play video games around November 22, 2023. She came with a friend, and Retzlaff’s friends and teammates were also there.
Later that night, after her friend left, Retzlaff and the woman started watching a movie and began kissing, according to the lawsuit. While “Retzlaff started to escalate things,” the suit claims that “Jane Doe A.G. tried to calm things down by pulling away and saying ‘wait.’ She did not want to engage in any sexual activity with him.”
The lawsuit states that the woman told Retzlaff “no” and “wait, stop,” but he continued to push himself on her. When she attempted to get off the bed, the lawsuit alleges in graphic detail that Retzlaff grabbed her neck and raped her.
A few days later, she went to a hospital where they conducted a rape kit examination and took pictures of her injuries. The lawsuit mentions that she contacted police in Provo, Utah but did not initially reveal Retzlaff’s name.
As of now, no criminal charges have been filed against Retzlaff.
After the lawsuit was filed, BYU released a statement saying, “The university takes any allegation very seriously and follows all processes and guidelines required by Title IX. Because of federal and university privacy laws regarding students, we cannot provide any further comments.”
Retzlaff is not the first well-known BYU athlete to receive a long suspension for breaking the honor code about premarital sex. In 2011, basketball player Brandon Davies was removed from the team—at that time, they had a record of 27-2 and were ranked No. 3 in the nation—and suspended from school.
He returned to school that fall. In 1999, running back Reno Mahe was also suspended from school and had to leave the football team. He went to a junior college before coming back to BYU.
The Salt Lake Tribune was the first to report that Retzlaff faced a seven-game suspension and planned to transfer.
Retzlaff, who has graduated from BYU, is likely to enter his name into the transfer portal soon. He started 13 games for the Cougars in 2024 during his first year as a starter, helping the team achieve an 11-2 record. He threw for 2,947 yards and had 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.
