There’s a brand-new wrinkle (?) in the college football transfer world and, it seems like ex-BYU Cougars QB Jake Retzlaff is walking straight into it. With a fresh NCAA-sanctioned portal window slated to open next week, the opportunity—born from the NCAA House v. NCAA settlement talks—is designed to ease schools into new roster limit realities without burying veteran players in limbo. Notably, it will be applicable for athletes that Division I programs have named as ‘Designated Student-Athletes’. 

And for Retzlaff, who’d been caught in a gray area of Honor Code issues and roster uncertainties in Provo, the new provision will certainly help him beyond bureaucratic classification. In simple words: It could change the trajectory of his career. But before we see how, let’s understand what student-athletes mean. As per Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger, an athlete is eligible to be placed on the list if they were an eligible member of their respective teams during the 2024-25 season, were assured of a 2025-26 roster spot by their programs, but were or would have been removed from the school’s roster owing to the new House-mandated roster limits. As for Retzlaff, he’s surely headed toward greener pastures if we are to believe Locked On Cougars’ podcast’s Jake Hatch.

During a conversation on July 2, Hatch explained, “Ross Dellenger said there is a new one-time transfer portal window opening up on July 7th. It’ll run through August 5th. And…it is going to allow athletes whose schools have placed a Designated Student-Athlete tag to leave the program they’re currently at and potentially transfer elsewhere.” The key detail? It’s entirely at the school’s discretion. Jake Retzlaff qualifies because he was on BYU’s active roster during the 2024–25 academic year, but he no longer fits into the program’s future under the new scholarship caps. “That is how Jake Retzlaff is going to be able to extricate himself from BYU and transfer without penalty,” Hatch added.

And where’s he likely headed? Notre Dame. “I fully expect Jake Retzlaff at this juncture to be part of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this coming football season,” Hatch said. “Is there a chance he goes to another program? Yes… But I think it’s in both parties’ best interest that they part ways now.” There’s long been mutual interest there, and with the Irish lacking a definitive long-term answer at QB following last year’s carousel, Retzlaff could arrive as a plug-and-play Band-Aid with multi-year starter upside. He led BYU to an 11–2 season in 2024, and while some argue he was more passenger than pilot, an 11–2 career mark isn’t nothing.

It gives Jake Retzlaff a rare off-cycle chance to reset his college career without burning a year of eligibility or needing a hardship waiver. “It’s not ideal,” Hatch admitted. “Losing your starting quarterback is not an ideal scenario, no matter how mid you may have thought Jake Retzlaff was.”

With the Jake chapter finally closed, BYU turns its eyes to the quarterback room—and it’s wide open. The Cougars will choose between McCae Hillstead, Western Michigan transfer Treyson Bourguet, and Stanford freshman Bear Bachmeier. Hillstead has the legs; Bourguet brings more starts and over 1,300 yards of experience but lacks elite mobility, and isn’t as fast as Hillstead. That athleticism edge gave Hillstead the upper hand heading into spring, but fall camp is where the real separation happens. In Spring camp, Hillstead flashed the potential that he showed as a true freshman. Track speed on the 50+ yard TD run, explosive plays, and more.

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake now gets a rare clean break—Retzlaff’s exit closes a complicated loop while preserving the program’s integrity. “I think it’s in both sides’ best interests,” Hatch said. “Jake goes and finds himself a new opportunity while BYU moves forward with who they’ve got.”

And maybe, in the end, it’s what both sides needed all along.

Jake Retzlaff could be the fix for two of the biggest SEC giants

With Jake Retzlaff officially clearing a path out of BYU, the million-dollar question becomes: Where does he land? While Notre Dame’s name has been thrown around the most, a couple of big-name SEC programs are lurking—and boy, would he shake things up.

Let’s start with Tennessee. The Vols just saw former five-star Nico Iamaleava hit the exit, and while they added App State’s Joey Aguilar, that move feels more like duct tape than a long-term answer. Retzlaff, on the other hand, might be the missing gear. After all, he started 2024 by leading BYU to a 9–0 run.

Then there’s Alabama. Yes, it’s a post-Saban world in Tuscaloosa, but new head coach Kalen DeBoer is no stranger to quarterback development. The issue? Ty Simpson just hasn’t made enough noise. Landing Retzlaff would do more than bolster the depth chart—it would show fans that DeBoer’s got pull in the portal and is already playing to win.

And sure, Maryland or others could sneak in but these two are the biggest splashing around everywhere. What do you think will happen?