Jake Retzlaff withdraws from BYU shortly after sexual assault lawsuit dismissal

BYU football player Jake Retzlaff is no longer a member of the football venture The move signals the official start of his process to transfer to another school In a social media post Friday Retzlaff validated he had reached the tough decision to withdraw and noted he would step away from the Cougars' football scheme After a lot of prayers reflection and conversations with those I trust I ve made the formidable decision to officially withdraw from BYU and the BYU football initiative Retzlaff posted Friday on Instagram CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COM BYU has meant more to me that just football It s been a place of rise spiritually mentally and physically I m grateful for every teammate coach staff member and fan who s supported me along the way BYU QUARTERBACK JAKE RETZLAFF DENIES SEXUAL ASSAULT CLAIMS IN LAWSUIT RESPONSEThe decision comes after a tumultuous limited months that included Retzlaff being named in a sexual assault lawsuit The suit was later dismissed The quarterback has one year of eligibility remaining Since Retzlaff is just shy of graduating he would likely be classified as a graduate learner because he competed in his final year of eligibility It is also unlikely he would enter the NCAA transfer portal Retzlaff could instead depart BYU and enroll at another school In late June ESPN revealed the quarterback intended to play elsewhere in At that time Retzlaff had already reportedly started telling his coaches and BYU teammates he was going to leave the school Retzlaff reportedly faced a suspension for violating the honor code at the university which is run by the Mormon church after acknowledging a consensual sexual relationship in his defense against the lawsuit Retzlaff threw for yards and touchdowns with interceptions last season as the Cougars contended for a spot in the Big championship encounter BYU coach Kalani Sitake avoided commenting on Retzlaff s situation at Big media days earlier this week saying it was a private matter The Associated Press contributed to this review Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter