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PROVO — The Cougars' first season in the Big 12 is over, which means the offseason has begun.
While teams prepare for conference championship games this week and bowl games to follow, BYU heads into an offseason that head coach Kalani Sitake has already assured will see "changes" of some kind.
Changes started Monday when the university confirmed that offensive line coach Darrell Funk and tight ends coach Steve Clark will not return in 2024.
With that comes offseason questions, and chief among them: Has Jake Retzlaff done enough to be the Cougars' starting quarterback in 2024?
Retzlaff redshirted the 2023 season, as previously planned, and his overall performances under the four-game redshirt rule were a mixed bag. But he was consistent in at least one area: results.
The Cougars were 0-4 with Retzlaff under center, part of a five-game losing skid to end the season, but not all of those losses can be directly attributed to the 6-foot-1 junior from Corona, California.
Ultimately, the tape will decide Retzlaff's future or whether BYU will once again go to the transfer portal for a quarterback like it did for starter Kedon Slovis, head coach Kalani Sitake noted after Saturday's loss in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"We have a good group of quarterbacks that can play; some of them are really young," Sitake said. "I have a lot of faith in Cade Fennegan and Nick Billoups, and Ryder Burton is an up-and-coming young player who has done some good things running the scout team. We'll evaluate it, and we'll look at all of those things.
"I think the key in the transfer portal and recruiting is to make sure they're a good fit for our program. If they want to be at BYU, then we'll play a lot better with them."
The Cougars also have a quarterback commitment from Noah Lugo, a dual-threat signal caller from Texas who flipped from UTSA before pledging with BYU.
Retzlaff completed 50% of his passes for 648 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions, while running for 116 yards and three scores. Indeed, his dual-threat mobility was the most noticeable upgrade when the former All-California junior college first-team honoree replaced Slovis due to an injury in the former USC and Pitt starter's throwing arm.
It is, perhaps, no coincidence that BYU's offense found its rhythm with as full of an arsenal as its had all season. Retzlaff threw darts to Kody Epps, Keanu Hill, Isaac Rex, Keelan Marion and Chase Roberts; Aidan Robbins and LJ Martin were both available in the backfield; and even Darius Lassiter started before leaving the game in the first half.
The former No. 1-rated junior college quarterback by ESPN threw for 4,596 yards and 44 touchdowns a year ago at Riverside City College, and ran for 515 yards and six more scores in 2022.
"I think for the first time, we had a majority of dudes healthy in most of the offensive rooms," Epps said. "Everybody getting involved was so much fun. … When our offense gets all the guys involved and everybody is healthy to do so, our offense is something to look out for. I was so blessed to be on the field with Kebo and Chase; I know it's been a long season and some of us haven't always been together. But to be on the field tonight together was such a blessing."
Turnovers also haunted Retzlaff's game, whether a costly fumble like in the first quarter against Oklahoma State, an ill-advised RPO call that should have been more run and less pass, or an intercepted check down for a quarterback who finished with as many picks as passing scores.
The biggest thing that makes offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick upset when running his offense are turnovers, and Retzlaff — whether by his fault or the fault of a teammate who falls under his regime — had his share, he admitted in his postgame interview, while noting his "trial run" as an FBS quarterback.
"I just got a little taste, and I want more. I want more wins," Retzlaff told BYUtv. "Wins is all I can think about; that's definitely going to be fuel for this offseason. I'm tired of walking off the field disappointed."
The Cougars had arguably two of their best offensive performances under Retzlaff, albeit in end-of-season losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. In the 40-34 double-overtime loss to the No. 20 Cowboys that ultimately sealed the season, he completed 14-of-30 passes for 161 yards without an interception and ran for two touchdowns.
That included an overtime touchdown run that came after BYU was shut out in the second half until Will Ferrin kicked a game-tying field goal as time expired to force the extra period. But Sitake said the coaching staff never got terribly close to replacing Retzlaff with Slovis.
"Kedon hasn't been 100% yet, and you're putting someone at risk who gets banged up and who has a career at the next level," Sitake said. "When he's healthy, he's really good. It would be hard for us to make that move and put that much pressure. I don't think that was the right move at the time."
The eighth-year head coach added that the 2023 season gives BYU additional ammo to use in an offense that came earlier than any but one in the past 19 seasons.
"We'll get this program where we want it to be," Sitake said. "We wanted to go to a bowl game, but that's just not part of it. We'll just have to do without it. I've been through this before in my career, and we overcame not going to a bowl game. We'll get better, and we'll improve."
