College football has its own unique way of webbing surprising storylines for us, isn’t it? And through the first third of the 2024 season brings, one such belonging to the Big-12 giants BYU Cougars’, Jake Retzlaff. Where to even start about the dude, the reshirt junior is a dual-threat quarterback who gifts touchdowns to his wideouts like Santa gives gifts on Christmas. The former No.1 ranked QB in ESPN’s Junior College 50 is so unbiased that he found 10 different receivers in this season’s opener dub against Southern Illinois. Merry-Retzlaff!

The 22-year-old hailing from Corona, California, has produced lots of highlights this season. Most recently kept the coach Kalani Sitake side 6-0 with a miraculous 35-yarder dime of a throw in the 38-35 clutch W over Oklahoma State. With 1644 yards and 16 touchdowns the BYU #12 showed off easy arm talent. Balling isn’t a recent affair for Retzlaff, he’s doing it since his high school days. The Riverside City College transfer completed 312 of 493 passes for 4,596 yards and 44 touchdowns in 2022. Fun fact, he must’ve thrown some of them to his brother who played WR with him in high school. Which makes us wonder where he got them skills from?

Meet Jake’s parents, Steve and Max Retzlaff

Behind every great player, there is a support system, for the Cougars co-captain it’s his parents. Steve and Max Retzlaff, have been pivotal figures in his football journey. His father has been instrumental in helping Jake navigate important decisions in his career. When BYU offered Jake a spot on the team after a stellar run at Riverside City College, Steve was deeply involved in weighing the pros and cons. In his CBS Sports interview, his dad admitted he was nervous about whether considering Provo would be the right choice. “I was more than concerned … not football-wise but father-wise,” he said.

Mom, Max Retzlaff, also plays a significant role in his life, though her presence is more private. But she in the same interview said that she was not nervous, unlike her husband. She was confident in Jake’s ability to fit in new places. The bold mother said of Jake, “We’ve been used to being a minority in the communities that we’ve lived, so he was used to not being like everybody else. He’s made a great job of adapting to the communities that he’s been in,”. Y’all must’ve noticed that his name is quite unique. Because it is!

What is Jake Retzlaff’s ethnicity?

Most Amazingly, Jake Retzlaff is the only Jewish starting QB in the country and it’s also more legendary that he’s doing it at a Mormon university. He jokingly hyped the term “BY-Jew” and has given oxygen to the meme by getting Ws on a weekly basis. As a redshirt junior, he embraced his identity with pride and respect at a school deeply rooted in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retzlaff’s start last year in over Slovis in Week 9 vs. West Virginia made him BYU’s inaugural Jewish starting quarterback.

“Me and my two brothers were really the only two Jewish athletes (in my town) growing up.” He shared in an interview, acknowledging the religious dynamic at BYU. Despite initial uncertainties, Retzlaff has felt nothing but support from the team and community. The Cougars passer is vocal about his religious identity and is often spotted wearing a Jewish star necklace in press conferences.

Jake Retzlaff can be cultural phenomenon during a polarizing time in the world. While he’s already the quarterback for the cougars. A lot of weight on his young shoulders.