Jake Retzlaff remembers being a kid when his dad asked what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go.
"Dad, I just want to play in front of a lot of people," he said.
From Saturdays at LaVell Edwards Stadium in BYU blue to the College Football Playoff with Tulane, Retzlaff has played football in front of a lot of people.
"Little Jake would be grinning ear to ear," Retzlaff said.
Retzlaff rose to national prominence as the BYU quarterback, leading the Cougars to an 11-2 season in 2024 and looked poised to build on that the following season.
That dream ended when a looming suspension for an honor code violation led him to withdraw from school just weeks before training camp, leaving the California native to pack his bags for the Big Easy and a walk-on spot at Tulane, leaving behind a family he'd come to love in Provo.
"That was the hardest part it was leaving all those brothers of mine and like I was so invested in that group of guys as well as the coaching staff," Retzlaff said.
Retzlaff quickly won the starting job at Tulane.
"It's been incredible to go to a new place on such short notice on such like last minute and to be welcomed with open arms like I was," he said.
He led the Green Wave to an American Conference title and the school's first ever CFP berth.
"It was cool to like have that aspect of 'Man, I am doing it.' Like I can still do it wherever I'm at, and then, like I said, the team was incredible. It wasn't like I did it all myself. Left a great team and joined a great team," Retzlaff said.
Even after his success in New Orleans, the bond between Retzlaff and BYU head coach Kalani Sitake remains and won't be broken by a jersey change.
"He's one of the best men, human beings I've been around in my whole life," Retzlaff said. "That's a connection I'll fricking cherish forever and ever. I know he's a head football coach, so he's way too busy all the time, but I'm still gonna blow his phone up. What I love about Kalani is he's gonna answer. He's gonna text me back. He's never left me on delivered. He's never not called me back when he could, so that's the kind of relationship we have. It's a lot more than player-coach. It's a family connection."
When asked if he watched BYU games this season, Retzlaff said he was deeply invested.
"Did I watch them? Dude. I was jumping up and down yelling at the TV like I was always a fan of football teams growing up and sports teams, but I never got into it like I was getting into the BYU games like man I was so hyper connected to all those guys that I was dialed in on every game they played this year," he said.
Now the quarterback has his sights set on the pros, training with former Cougars QB John Beck in California in hopes of hearing his name called in the NFL Draft.
Retzlaff knows he'll likely have to fight to make an NFL roster, but he's never shied away from a challenge before, and he won't stop now.
"I was a junior college kid, so my entire career has literally just been proving people wrong over, over, and over again," Retzlaff said, "So I'm just kind of getting the opportunity to do that over and over again. Like, I'm going to prove you wrong. Like you didn't know how good I was? Let me show you how good I actually am. At the same time, nothing is going to discourage me at this point. I've seen enough that I'm not going to ever quit because of one scout's opinion or whatever it is like that. I'm excited to go give my all wherever I end up.
"I'm actually excited for this draft process to be over as fast as possible because I just want to get where I need to go and just go do my thing because that's where I'm best. Just give me the opportunity and let me run with that opportunity. I just need that opportunity."
Just let him in the building.
"Exactly. Give me a code to the door, and I'll figure the rest out," Retzlaff said.
