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In 2023 and 2024, Jake Retzlaff emerged as a potential rising star at quarterback for the BYU Cougars, one of the Big 12’s top programs.
After stints at Golden West College and Riverside City College, where he posted impressive numbers, Retzlaff transferred to BYU in 2023. By the 2024 season, he had secured the starting job, leading the Cougars to an 11-2 record and establishing them as one of the top teams in the country.
Retzlaff’s tenure at BYU, however, ended in controversy. He entered the transfer portal in June 2025 after violating the school’s honor code. The move eventually led him to Tulane, where he helped guide the Green Wave to the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Here’s what to know about Retzlaff’s exit from BYU following the honor code violation.
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Why did Jake Retzlaff leave BYU?
In May 2025, when he was coming off his first season as BYU's starting quarterback, Jake Retzlaff was sued by a woman in Salt Lake County, identified in a court filing as Jane Doe A.G., alleging that he sexually assaulted her at his home in November 2023. The woman sued Retzlaff in civil court for alleged battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The anonymous woman in the case alleged that she had met Retzlaff on social media, and that she had a rape kit exam done at a hospital days after the alleged assault, but had initially withheld Retzlaff's name to police. Per the Salt Lake Tribune, the lawsuit alleged that the woman and a friend had gone to Retzlaff's home in November 2023, and the woman stayed after her friend left. Retzlaff allegedly continued "escalating the situation" after the woman told him she didn't want to do anything more than kiss, and he allegedly grew angry and "started to shout at her."
The lawsuit then stated that Retzlaff had fallen asleep, then when he woke up, he began "forcefully kissing her and touching her," per the Salt Lake Tribune, despite the woman telling him to stop. According to the lawsuit, Retzalff allegedly continued forcing himself on her and raped her, and she went to a hospital days later and had a rape kit examination completed.
BYU released a statement at the time.
"The university takes any allegation very seriously, following all processes and guidelines mandated by Title IX," the statement read, per ESPN. "Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment."
Retzlaff’s attorneys also filed a response to the lawsuit in court shortly after, which denied the allegations but stated that the quarterback and the anonymous woman had consensual sex in their encounter, per the Deseret News.
“Mr. Retzlaff specifically and categorically denies each and every and all allegations that he bit, raped or strangled AG, which are ridiculous and bizarre allegations, all of which are false and untrue,” the response stated, per The Deseret News.
No criminal charges were ever filed against Retzlaff, and in June 2025, the civil lawsuit was dropped, as the parties "jointly agreed to dismiss with prejudice," per ESPN.
However, shortly after the lawsuit was made public, Retzlaff reportedly met with BYU officials, who told him he would likely be facing a seven-game suspension from the school for violating its honor code by engaging in premarital sex. Retzlaff, who had become the first ever Jewish quarterback to play at BYU in 2023, had admitted to violating the school's honor code in his attorney's response to the lawsuit.
Facing that seven-game suspension from BYU, Retzlaff entered the transfer portal on June 29 for the third time in his collegiate career. He landed at Tulane by July 21, 2025, and he was named the team's starting quarterback for the 2025 season.
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BYU honor code
The BYU honor code is a set of rules and standards set for students at Brigham Young University, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The code mandates students' behavior aligns with teachings of the church. BYU does welcome people of all faiths, including those who are nonreligious, but requires the behavioral standards.
Even outside of Retzlaff, other BYU athletes have been found to violate the school's honor code for premarital sex in the past, including basketball player Brandon Davies, who was dismissed from the team and suspended in 2011, then reinstated the following fall.
Below are some of the requirements of BYU's honor code. The full code can be found here.
- Academic honesty
- Adherence to dress and grooming standards
- Abstinence from extramarital sex and same-sex romantic behavior
- Consumption of alcohol/drugs
- Avoidance of profane and vulgar language
- Church service attendance expected for members of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Jake Retzlaff sexual assault case dismissed
On June 30, 2025, ESPN reported that court records showed the civil sexual assault case against Jake Retzlaff had been dismissed. The day prior, his intentions to enter the transfer portal and leave BYU were reported.
The parties in the case "jointly agreed to dismiss with prejudice," per ESPN. The news came as Retzlaff faced the potential seven-game suspension from BYU for violating its honor code, but had decided to enter the transfer portal.
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