The story of Jewish quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s transfer to BYU — and BYU football’s success this season — has caught the attention of sports personalities across the country, who are now putting an even brighter spotlight on the “B-Y-Jew.”
Earlier this month, CBS Sports and ESPN’s “College GameDay” both produced video features on Retzlaff’s football career and faith.
Now, Rich Eisen is sharing the Jewish quarterback’s story, too.
He had Retzlaff as a guest on “The Rich Eisen Show” Tuesday and asked him about how he ended up at BYU.
Retzlaff spoke about being excited to have the opportunity to play for a school that’s known for developing NFL-caliber quarterbacks.
He also noted that the recruiting process made him feel like the BYU culture would be a great fit for him, even if he’s not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It’s a competitive advantage to have such limited distractions,” Retzlaff said, adding that BYU football players are better able than players at other schools to “keep the main thing the main thing.”
Retzlaff explained that he’s enjoyed getting to talk to his teammates and others about his Jewish faith and learning more about Latter-day Saints.
He said he felt supported by his coaches in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and feels like his own faith has grown during his time on campus.
“It’s so centered around faith. It’s so easy for me to kind of grow in my faith,” he said.
Retzlaff and Eisen also talked about BYU football’s 7-0 start to the season and dream of making the College Football Playoff.
The quarterback said he’s taking it one game at a time, and leaning on the wisdom he’s getting from high-profile BYU grads like Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young.
“He’s sending me good words of encouragement (and) words of advice,” Retzlaff said about Young.