The Tulane Green Wave has one of the most stacked quarterback rooms in all of college football. Now, two transfer standouts will both have the chance to make their mark early in the season.
Quarterbacks Jake Retzlaff and Brendan Sullivan are both expected to play in Saturday's matchup against South Alabama, according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.
Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) on X
Tulane will play both BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff and Iowa transfer Brendan Sullivan at QB against South Alabama.
Retzlaff led Green Wave to win over Northwestern. Sullivan is back and was neck-and-neck for the starting job before injury. Tulane plays Duke + Ole Miss next.
Retzlaff showed plenty of versatility in the Green Wave's season-opening win against Northwestern. The BYU transfer went 18-for-31 through the air for 152 yards and one touchdown. He also led the team on the ground, recording 10 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown.
The redshirt senior helped lead the Cougars to 11 wins last season while putting up solid numbers on the year: Retzlaff notched 2,947 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also recording six rushing touchdowns. He chose to leave BYU amid an honor code violation.
Sullivan, on the other hand, will be making his first appearance of the year. The redshirt senior arrived in New Orleans as an Iowa transfer with plenty of upside, showing potential in fall camp before suffering a leg injury that sidelined him to start the season.
In his 2024 season as a Hawkeye, Sullivan played in 10 games, making three starts behind center. He completed 38-of-53 passes for 475 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Like Retzlaff, Sullivan showed his ability to rush, reaching the end zone four times on the ground. Prior to his time at Iowa, he played for Northwestern.
There are plenty of ways to look at the ensuing mid-game quarterback battle. Having a pair of talented signal-callers to bounce between is a luxury for any team: if one faces a setback, the other can pick up where he left off. For Tulane, putting both quarterbacks in the game could be a sign that the Green Wave is trying to find a rhythm that involves using both signal-callers week in and week out on a situational basis.
On the other hand, it could mean that neither player has separated himself enough in practice to win the job indefinitely. Retzlaff looks like the clear QB1 based on Week 1 performance, but Sullivan hasn't had the chance to face real competition yet.
If Tulane plans to officially designate a QB1 for the season, the program has one week to do so before the competition picks up big time with games against Duke and Ole Miss right around the corner.