BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff will start the 2025 football season and his self-described quest to make it to the Heisman ceremony in New York in December with a college degree in hand.
The rising senior (in eligibility) from Corona, California, who became a national curiosity last season as the first Jewish quarterback in BYU history, is one of 112 student-athletes who are graduating Thursday, according to a list released by the school.
Retzlaff is getting his degree in exercise and wellness, easily the most popular degree among BYU student-athletes.
BYU’s 2025 commencement is Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Marriott Center on campus. The student-athlete graduates will be honored at a senior banquet Wednesday.
All 122 student-athlete graduates had a graduation date ranging from December 2024 to August 2025.
Retzlaff is one of 22 former, or current, BYU football players who will receive their degrees in this cycle. Last year, there were 19. The year before (2023), there were 24.
One of the graduates from BYU’s football program who will walk is Rob Daniel, who played defensive back for the Cougars in 2013 and 2014 before stints in the NFL and the Canadian Football League.
When his contract with the Toronto Argonauts expired in February 2024, Daniel returned to Provo to finish his degree and work with the football team as a defensive consultant.
Along with Retzlaff, these players will be back in 2025 with degrees: safety Talan Alfrey; cornerback Jayden Dunlap; tight end Ethan Erickson; defensive end Logan Lutui; receiver Chase Roberts; and defensive tackle Josh Singh.
Star safety Tanner Wall, who is returning in 2025, graduated in 2024 with a degree in finance and is working on his MBA. Another returner, cornerback Mory Bamba, graduated last spring with a degree in business.
Several football graduates will be watching the NFL draft Thursday through Saturday after getting their degrees, with hopes of hearing their names called. That list includes receiver Darius Lassiter, defensive tackles Blake Mangelson and John Nelson, offensive lineman Connor Pay and tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase.
Star defensive end Tyler Batty graduated last spring, in communications, and defensive end Isaiah Bagnah graduated in sociology.
Two members of BYU’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 basketball team this past season, center Fousseyni Traore and guard Dawson Baker, have also earned their degrees, Traore in business management and Baker, who is expected to return to the team next season, in sociology. Trevin Knell and Trey Stewart graduated last spring.
On the women’s basketball side, center Emma Calvert is getting a degree in information systems.
Here’s the list of 2024-25 BYU student-athlete graduates
Baseball — 6
- Hayden Coon, Business Management
- Tate Gambill, Finance
- Brett Hansen, Economics
- Jaden Harris, Exercise and Wellness
- Jake Porter, Sociology
- Cooper Vest, Exercise and Wellness
Men’s basketball — 2
- Fousseyni Traore, Business Management
Dawson Baker, Sociology
Women’s basketball — 1
- Emma Calvert, Information Systems
Football — 22
- Talan Alfrey, Exercise Science
- Rob Daniel, Global Studies
- Sam Dawe, Exercise and Wellness
- Jayden Dunlap, Global Studies
- Ethan Erickson, Communication Studies
- Cade Fennegan, Communication Studies
- Josh Larsen, Facility and Property Management
- Darius Lassiter, Global Studies
- Tysen Lewis, Human Resource Management
- Tyler Little, Exercise and Wellness
- Logan Lutui, Exercise Science
- Blake Mangelson, Family Studies
- Keelan Marion, Global Studies
- Isaac Matua, Construction Management
- John Nelson, Communications Studies
- Connor Pay, Entrepreneurial Management
- Jake Retzlaff, Exercise and Wellness
- Dalton Riggs, Business Management
- Chase Roberts, Business Management
- Josh Singh, Global Studies
- Ethan Slade, Business Management
- Mata’ava Ta’ase, Communication Studies
Men’s golf — 2
- Cole Ponich, Psychology
- Max Brenchley, Business Management
Women’s golf — 1
- Adeline Anderson Wach, Human Development
Gymnastics — 9
- Sydney Benson, Exercise and Wellness
- Anna Bramblett-Wilde, Exercise and Wellness
- Eliza Crossman, Neuroscience
- Sophie Dudley, Psychology
- Karsyn Foster, Exercise Science
- Rebecca Leach, Health Science
- Mina Margraf Benson, Exercise and Wellness
- Olivia Matern, Exercise ande Wellness
- Elease Rollins, Elementary Education
Women’s soccer — 1
- Tara Warner, Physical Education Teaching/Coaching (K-12)
Softball — 4
- Alyssa Aguilar, Sociology
- Lauren Flanders, Computer Science
- Keila Kamoku, Journalism and Sports Media
- Violet Zavodnik, Physical Education Teaching/Coaching (K-12)
Men’s swimming and diving — 10
- Abraham Barragan, Latin American Studies
- Cody Dreesen, Construction Management
- Emerson Edwards, Human Resource Management
- Chase Hindmarsh, Information Systems
- Fletcher Madsen, Microbiology
- Tony Puertas, Global Supply Chain Management
- Luigi Riva, Economics
- Mickey Strauss, Physical Education Teaching/Coaching (K-12)
- Jordan Tiffany, Human Resources Management
- Abraham Zimmerman, Physical Education Teaching/Coaching (K-12)
Women’s swimming and diving — 13
- Megan Bergstrom, Exercise and Wellness
- Makayla Cazier, Journalism and Sports Media
- Kylee Conrad, Finance
- Regan Geldmacher, Dietics
- Kate Hansen, Health Science
- Tahis Ibanez, Plant and Landscape Systems
- Hailey Johnson, Bioinformatics
- Brooklyn Clouse, Psychology
- Mackenzie Miller-Lung, Communications Studies
- Jess Nyborg, Psychology
- Sofia Pusceddu, Environmental/Occupational Health
- Jeremiah Lhea Tandingan, Experience Design and Management
- Halli Williams, Exercise Science
Women’s tennis — 2
- Yujia (Bobo) Huang, Marketing
- Kendall Kovick, Sociology
Men’s tennis — 1
- Wally Thayne, Psychology
Women’s track and field — 8
- Anastaysia Davis, Elementary Education
- Emily Ellis-Dalley, Biology
- Rebekah Erikson, Computer Science
- Maren Garnett, Dietics
- Lexy Halladay-Lowry, Health Promotion
- Sami Oblad, Tourism Studies
- Cate Phipps Louis, Exercise and Wellness
- Mayci Taylor, Public Relations
Men’s track and field — 11
- Lucas Bons, Mechanical Engineering
- Danny Bryant, Exercise and Wellness
- Austin Cox, Exercise Science
- Dallin Draper, Data Science
- Sebastian Fernandez, Chemical Engineering
- Eli Hazlett, Exercise and Wellness
- Trey Jackson, Information Systems
- Joey Nokes, Exercise Science
- Josh Taylor, Construction Management
- Aidan Troutner, Professional Accountancy
- Garrett Stanford, Strategic Management
Women’s volleyball — 3
- Alyssa Montoya Erickson, Exercise and Wellness
- Elyse Stowell, Psychology
- Kalia Thunstrom, Enterpreneurial Management
Men’s volleyball — 4
- Ethan Grant, Strategic Management
- Noa Haine, Global Supply Chain Management
- Miks Ramanis, Communication Studies
- Teon Taylor, Biology
Cougarettes — 6
- Ellsie Tueller, Human Development
- Brynn Belka, Dance
- Audrey Haskell Barney, Dance
- Madison Bay Cenname, Exercise and Wellness
- Halle Larsen, Experience Design and Management
- Elena Wright, Exercise and Wellness
Cheer — 3
- Gavan Allen, Construction Management
- Abby Haws, Nutritional Science
- Kennedy Liljenquist, Public Relations
Dunk Team — 3
- Gabby Doman, Family Life
- Derek Johnson, Information Systems
- Jonas Wright, Journalism and Sports Media