- Kalani Sitake discussed Jake Retzlaff's situation at Big 12 media days.
- Retzlaff, facing honor code violations, plans to transfer for his final season.
- BYU will hold an open competition for Retzlaff's replacement among three players.
FRISCO, Texas — Kalani Sitake brought five players to BYU's third trip to Big 12 football media days Tuesday, including All-Big 12 preseason wide receiver Chase Roberts and linebacker tandem Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker.
But the biggest question was about a player who remains on the roster but isn't expected to be on the team in the fall.
Rising fifth-year senior Jake Retzlaff is expected to transfer to another school for his final season of eligibility after admitting to violating the school's honor code.
BYU's honor code for all students at the university sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints includes an expectation to "live a chaste and virtuous life, including abstaining from sexual relations outside marriage between a man and a woman."
"There's a level of expectation and a standard that we ask our student-athletes and our students altogether to live like," Sitake said. "Every school has their standards, and we have ours, too.
"These are just part of the things that you have to be committed to, and we expect our students to live according to what they signed up for."
"Every school has their standards, we have [our standards] too"
— BYUtv Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) July 8, 2025
BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitake comments on coaching at a school with an honor code. pic.twitter.com/5d3QITsHyy
The senior quarterback faced a multi-game suspension for violating the school's honor code, with some sources reporting up to seven games — more than half the season.
Retzlaff, 22, was the subject of a civil lawsuit brought by a Salt Lake woman in Utah's 3rd District court that alleged sexual assault.
Both parties agreed to dismiss the lawsuit after Retzlaff released a 14-page response to the suit, which included allegations that he "bit, raped and strangled" the alleged victim after she drove from her Salt Lake-area home to his apartment in Provo.
Retzlaff denied "each and every allegation" in his response filing through his attorneys. He referred to the encounter as a "pleasant and entirely consensual evening together."
The Southern California native has not revealed a transfer destination, and he can't enter the transfer portal because there is no current window. Retzlaff walked at April graduation with a degree in exercise and wellness, but the NCAA Division I council recently ruled that graduate transfers must enter the portal prior to the conclusion of their respective sports' final transfer window — which closed April 25 for football.
Still, Retzlaff has begun telling teammates and some football staff members that he plans to leave.
"I love Jake Retzlaff," Sitake said. "We love Jake Retzlaff, and appreciate all that he has done for our program. I think it'll be inappropriate for me to make a statement on his situation first. I think that's his right ... I'm going to give him the opportunity to do that."
The All-Big 12 honorable mention signal caller who threw for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions last year while leading the Cougars to an 11-2 record and No. 13 final ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 is expected to be succeeded by one of three options.
That means the Cougars will host an open competition for Retzlaff's successor between redshirt sophomore McCae Hillstead, redshirt junior Treyson Bourguet and true freshman Bear Bachmeier.
The former four-star recruit joined the program after participating in spring ball at Stanford.
"Let's settle it on the field; let's let them compete," Sitake said. "I only know one way, and that's to play the best guys. That's how it works."
