Jake Retzlaff Joins Elite Group Of BYU QBs After 6-0 Start
Oct 15, 2024, 12:24 PM
PROVO, Utah – The 2024 season has been quite the ride for BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff.
After last year’s 0-4 finish with Retzlaff, the former No. 1 JUCO quarterback had to regain his starting role by winning a quarterback battle over USF/Baylor transfer Gerry Bohanon.
#BYU starting QBs who have reached 6-0 to start a season.
Marc Wilson (1979)
Robbie Bosco (1984)
Brandon Doman (2001)
Max Hall (2008)
Zach Wilson (2020)
Jake Retzlaff (2024)#BYUFootball— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 13, 2024
He won the job in fall camp and hasn’t looked back since.
Retzlaff, who BYU legend Steve Young called a “swashbuckler” over the weekend, has led the Cougars to a 6-0 start this season.
BYU is in its 100th season, yet the 6-0 start this year is only the sixth occurrence in program history.
Jake Retzlaff is the sixth BYU football QB to start 6-0 in a season
The quarterbacks who led BYU to those previous 6-0 starts were all quarterbacks who were either drafted or played in the NFL. Retzlaff joins that group.
Those QBs who reached 6-0 starts in BYU seasons are Marc Wilson (1979), Robbie Bosco (1984), Brandon Doman (2001), Max Hall (2008), and Zach Wilson (2020). That’s an elite company for Retzlaff to join.
What’s more impressive about Retzlaff’s 6-0 start is that the competition is tougher this season than in any of those seasons.
Wilson’s 1979 squad took down Texas A&M in Houston, Bosco, and the 1984 team defeated No. 3 Pitt, but it wasn’t the week-after-week grind like Retzlaff is facing in the Big 12.
#BYU QB Jake Retzlaff credits the players around him and in the locker room for the 6-0 start.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/FBT7vUU0lV
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 13, 2024
Credit to the players around him
Retzlaff, a redshirt junior, quickly points out his teammates as the reason for BYU’s strong start in the 2024 season.
“I’m more grateful for the guys in the locker room with me doing this because we love to give quarterbacks credit. We love to give quarterbacks the credit for the records. But it’s not that, man,” Retzlaff said. “I was 0-4 last year. That means I was the worst quarterback last year, and all of a sudden, we’re 6-0, and I’m the greatest? Nah, that’s not it. It’s the guys around me playing really well that’s making it what it is. So grateful for them, grateful for everybody who came before me, and excited to keep this going.”
If history is any indicator, BYU’s 6-0 start should lead Retzlaff and this Cougar squad to future success in the year’s second half.
The previous five BYU teams that started 6-0 all reached double-digit win seasons; highlighted by Robbie Bosco and the 1984 team winning a National Championship that season.
Retzlaff has passed for 1,426 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He’s improved his competition percentage from 50% last year to 60.3% this season.
No. 13 BYU vs. Oklahoma State
Date: Friday, October 18, 2024
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. (MT)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Extended Pregame begins at 5:30 p.m.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
