BYU plans to start junior college transfer Jake Retzlaff against West Virginia on Saturday, multiple sources told The Salt Lake Tribune.
Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis, who was sacked twice and hounded by the Texas defense last weekend, has been dealing with injuries, sources said.
The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.
Retzlaff was highly productive at Riverside City College. As a sophomore, he threw for 4,596 yards, 44 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 13 games last year. He has yet to appear in a game for the Cougars.
Slovis has struggled in the past three games, throwing for less than 200 yards each week. His last outing — 25 of 40 for 192 yards and two interceptions against Texas — resulted in BYU scoring just six points.
After the loss to the Longhorns, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake stood by Slovis as the starter. He said Slovis was not being protected well enough as he was hit multiple times.
“Everyone thinks the easy answer is [to] get another quarterback in there,” Sitake said. “Like how about we just protect for him first? You know, give [Slovis] a chance. When he is getting hit, that’s not his fault.
“He was managing the game the way we wanted to,” he continued. “We just weren’t converting on plays. And again Texas had a say in that. They are a really good defense, and they made things difficult for us. I believe in our players, and I believe in Kedon.”
Wide receiver Kody Epps also defended the quarterback. Slovis missed some throws, but he also wasn’t helped by BYU’s run game or the protection.
“He’s made mistakes just like we’ve all made mistakes,” Epps said. “We’ve all been out there and made mistakes. He’s the quarterback so the world is always going to look at the leader of the team when mistakes are being made and things aren’t going as efficiently as people want them to be.
“For him to come out there and compete every day with the pressure he has on his shoulders shows his character ... We are going to keep going and just let him keep ripping it.”
Retzlaff had been redshirting this season. He can play in four regular season games without burning the redshirt. With four weeks remaining, that will not be an issue.
The change may come out of necessity, but Retlzaff could also provide the Cougars with a different dynamic. One of the questions over the past few weeks has been whether BYU could be helped by a more mobile passer. Sitake acknowledged it has been an adjustment not having a quarterback who can run, as the Cougars have had in the past.
“Adjusting the offense is the key,” Sitake said this week. “There are different ways to be mobile and be effective. We know [Slovis] can throw the ball so let’s allow him to do that. And sometimes we have to protect for him. There is definitely an adjustment you have to make. But for us, let’s utilize his strengths that we feel make him the starter for us.”
