Football’s Jake Retzlaff Accepts Invitation To 2026 Hula Bowl
Dec 24, 2025 | Football
DeLand, FL – Tulane football's Jake Retzlaff recently accepted an invitation to participate in the 2026 Hula Bowl, the organization announced today.
Retzlaff, in his first year at Tulane after transferring from BYU, ended his 2025 season leading the team in passing (3168 yards) and rushing (634 yards). His 16 rushing touchdowns were a new school record for Tulane for a quarterback. He became the first non-running back to lead Tulane in rushing since 2019. His 3,168 yards places him third all-time at Tulane in single season passing. On the season play and started all 14 games at quarterback going 242-for-391 passing with 15 passing touchdowns with a 61.9 completion percentage and a quarterback efficiency of 139.0. He was also honored by the American Conference seven times on the season with weekly awards.
About the Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl is the nation's premier College Football All-Star Game dedicated to Seniors-only. The Hula Bowl is an event where all NFL, UFL and CFL teams will be represented by their top scouts during Hula Bowl week practices. Players will have a unique opportunity for one-on -one interviews with teams.
Athletes chosen to participate in the Hula Bowl are selected by the Hula Bowl Selection Committee. This committee is made up of former College and Professional football players and coaches. The invitations are primarily based on an athletes potential to make a professional football team roster. Scouts representing from the NFL, UFL and CFL teams are invited to provide their input for athletes that they may want to see in the Hula Bowl game for additional evaluation.
The game will be played this season on Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 11 a.m. at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand, Florida. The stadium is where the Stetson Hatters play their home games and was the filming location for the 1998 film The Waterboy starring Adam Sandler. In the film, the stadium depicted the home field of the fictional South Central Louisiana State Mud Dogs.
About Tulane
After winning the American Conference Championship on Friday, Dec. 5, for the second time in four seasons, the No. 11 seeded Tulane football team (11-3) earned the school's first-ever playoff appearance in school history against Ole Miss. Besides being the first-ever playoff appearance, the Green Wave are also the first team to ever make the College Football Playoff (CFP) from the state of Louisiana in the 12-team format.
The Green Wave qualified for the CFP by being the fourth-highest ranked conference champion.
The Green Wave's 2025 season included 11 wins in 14 games, featuring two victories over Power 4 opponents—the first time since 1988. The Dec. 5 win over North Texas (34-21) secured Tulane its second conference title in four years.
The team earned 13 American All-Conference selections plus the Special Teams Player of the Year in Patrick Durkin. The program's All-Conference selections this season are Shadre Hurst (offensive line – 1st team), Santana Hopper (defensive line – 1st team), Jack Tchienchou (safety – 1st team), Durkin (kicker – 1st team), Alec Clark (punter – 1st team), Tre'Von McAlpine (defensive line – 2nd team), Sam Howard (linebacker – 2nd team), Derrick Graham (offensive line – 3rd team), Harvey Dyson (linebacker – 3rd team), Javion White (cornerback – 3rd team), TJ Smith (return specialists – 3rd team), Jason Arredondo (designated snapper – 3rd team), and Jahiem Johnson (cornerback – Honorable Mention)
The program sports a 43-13 record over the last four seasons.
Will Hall, who returned to Tulane in 2025 as its Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, has been selected to be the program's new head coach, Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair David Harris announced on Monday, Dec. 8.
Hall, a highly accomplished head coach with 70 collegiate, rejoined Tulane in 2025 after serving as the program's Offensive Coordinator from 2019-2020, helping the Green Wave set offensive records and elevate the team's profile nationally. His offense in 2025 was a multi-threat unit, with four receivers catching 30 or more passes, led by Shazz Preston's four touchdowns, and quarterback Jake Retzlaff throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Prior to his current stint at Tulane, Hall spent three-plus seasons as head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, guiding the Golden Eagles through transitions in conference affiliation and a 38-24 victory in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl over Rice. Earlier that season, Hall's squad came into Yulman Stadium and knocked off the Cotton Bowl-bound Green Wave 27-24 in a year where Southern Miss faced three 10-win opponents.
A native of Amory, Mississippi, Hall made an immediate impact on the Tulane offense during his offensive coordinator stint, helping the Green Wave rewrite its offensive record books. The Green Wave finished the 2019 season ranked 11th in the nation in rushing offense (243.2), 22nd in total offense (449.3) and 30th in scoring offense (33.1). Tulane rushed for more than 200 yards in nine games and 300 or more four times. The Tulane offense set the program record in rushing yards at 3,162 yards in 2019 and ranked second in program history in rushing yards per game (243.2), rushing touchdowns (33) and rushing first downs (166).
In 2020, the Green Wave enjoyed more success offensively as it finished No. 17 nationally in rushing offense (217.1), 19th in first downs (258) and 22nd in scoring offense (34.7).
Hall joined the Green Wave coaching staff after he spent the 2018 campaign as the Associate Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach at the University of Memphis where he helped guide the Tigers to the American Athletic Conference Championship game for the second straight season and helped the Tigers to their fifth straight bowl appearance.
During his lone season at Memphis, Hall helped guide the Tigers to a school record 42 rushing touchdowns during the regular season. In addition, Memphis finished the regular season with 3,311 rushing yards, setting a new school record. Memphis' offense ranked in the nation's top 10 in rushing (No. 5, 275.9), scoring offense (No. 6, 43.8) and total offense (No. 6, 530.3) under Hall's assistance.
Hall joined the Memphis staff in January 2018 after spending the 2017 season as the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, where six offensive players received all-conference honors. The Cajuns ranked among the best in the nation in red zone offense and turnovers lost with just 16.
In his one season as offensive coordinator at Louisiana, the Ragin' Cajuns compiled the Sun Belt Conference's third-best rushing offense with 2,204 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns. The Louisiana offense tied for the second-fewest turnovers in the Sun Belt during the 2017 season. The Cajuns were also efficient in the red zone, leading the Sun Belt by scoring on 92.9-percent of their red zone chances.
In his three-year head coaching stint at West Georgia (UWG), Hall led the Wolves to a 31-9 record, the first Gulf South Conference (GSC) title since 2000 and a pair of NCAA Division II semifinal appearances. His first two seasons at UWG produced a pair of 12-win seasons before he finished 7-4 in 2016. Hall was twice named GSC Coach of the Year and was the Super Region 2 Coach of the Year.
From 2011-13 as the head coach at West Alabama, his teams won two league titles and twice earned spots in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
Prior to his six seasons at West Alabama, Hall enjoyed successful stints on the coaching staffs at Arkansas-Monticello, Southwest Baptist, Henderson State and Presbyterian. Hall's achievements in the coaching profession are a carryover from his illustrious career on the playing field at North Alabama.
Hall played for his father, Bobby Hall, at Amory High School leading the Panthers to the 1998 Mississippi High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Class 3A state title. From 1999-2000, he attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. In 2000, Hall set a NJCAA record for total offense in a season (4,075 yards) and added an NJCAA single-game record with nine touchdown passes.
Hall then moved to North Alabama, where he was a quarterback for the Lions from 2002-03. He won the Harlan Hill Trophy in 2003, emblematic of being America's top player in NCAA Division II. In 2003, Hall, who threw for 3,531 yards and 30 touchdowns, led the Lions to a 13-1 record and an NCAA Division II semifinals appearance.
In 2004, Hall signed a contract to play for the Tupelo FireAnts of the National Indoor Football League. Playing once again for his father, who was the head coach for the team, Hall passed for 2,046 yards and 44 touchdowns while rushing for 13 scores in the 14-game season.
A 2003 graduate of North Alabama, Hall, and wife Rebecca, have two sons – Tripp and Pete.
TICKETS
Tickets for the men's and women's basketball seasons and the upcoming baseball campaign can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
- TulaneGreenWave -
Retzlaff, in his first year at Tulane after transferring from BYU, ended his 2025 season leading the team in passing (3168 yards) and rushing (634 yards). His 16 rushing touchdowns were a new school record for Tulane for a quarterback. He became the first non-running back to lead Tulane in rushing since 2019. His 3,168 yards places him third all-time at Tulane in single season passing. On the season play and started all 14 games at quarterback going 242-for-391 passing with 15 passing touchdowns with a 61.9 completion percentage and a quarterback efficiency of 139.0. He was also honored by the American Conference seven times on the season with weekly awards.
About the Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl is the nation's premier College Football All-Star Game dedicated to Seniors-only. The Hula Bowl is an event where all NFL, UFL and CFL teams will be represented by their top scouts during Hula Bowl week practices. Players will have a unique opportunity for one-on -one interviews with teams.
Athletes chosen to participate in the Hula Bowl are selected by the Hula Bowl Selection Committee. This committee is made up of former College and Professional football players and coaches. The invitations are primarily based on an athletes potential to make a professional football team roster. Scouts representing from the NFL, UFL and CFL teams are invited to provide their input for athletes that they may want to see in the Hula Bowl game for additional evaluation.
The game will be played this season on Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 11 a.m. at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand, Florida. The stadium is where the Stetson Hatters play their home games and was the filming location for the 1998 film The Waterboy starring Adam Sandler. In the film, the stadium depicted the home field of the fictional South Central Louisiana State Mud Dogs.
About Tulane
After winning the American Conference Championship on Friday, Dec. 5, for the second time in four seasons, the No. 11 seeded Tulane football team (11-3) earned the school's first-ever playoff appearance in school history against Ole Miss. Besides being the first-ever playoff appearance, the Green Wave are also the first team to ever make the College Football Playoff (CFP) from the state of Louisiana in the 12-team format.
The Green Wave qualified for the CFP by being the fourth-highest ranked conference champion.
The Green Wave's 2025 season included 11 wins in 14 games, featuring two victories over Power 4 opponents—the first time since 1988. The Dec. 5 win over North Texas (34-21) secured Tulane its second conference title in four years.
The team earned 13 American All-Conference selections plus the Special Teams Player of the Year in Patrick Durkin. The program's All-Conference selections this season are Shadre Hurst (offensive line – 1st team), Santana Hopper (defensive line – 1st team), Jack Tchienchou (safety – 1st team), Durkin (kicker – 1st team), Alec Clark (punter – 1st team), Tre'Von McAlpine (defensive line – 2nd team), Sam Howard (linebacker – 2nd team), Derrick Graham (offensive line – 3rd team), Harvey Dyson (linebacker – 3rd team), Javion White (cornerback – 3rd team), TJ Smith (return specialists – 3rd team), Jason Arredondo (designated snapper – 3rd team), and Jahiem Johnson (cornerback – Honorable Mention)
The program sports a 43-13 record over the last four seasons.
Will Hall, who returned to Tulane in 2025 as its Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach, has been selected to be the program's new head coach, Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair David Harris announced on Monday, Dec. 8.
Hall, a highly accomplished head coach with 70 collegiate, rejoined Tulane in 2025 after serving as the program's Offensive Coordinator from 2019-2020, helping the Green Wave set offensive records and elevate the team's profile nationally. His offense in 2025 was a multi-threat unit, with four receivers catching 30 or more passes, led by Shazz Preston's four touchdowns, and quarterback Jake Retzlaff throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Prior to his current stint at Tulane, Hall spent three-plus seasons as head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, guiding the Golden Eagles through transitions in conference affiliation and a 38-24 victory in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl over Rice. Earlier that season, Hall's squad came into Yulman Stadium and knocked off the Cotton Bowl-bound Green Wave 27-24 in a year where Southern Miss faced three 10-win opponents.
A native of Amory, Mississippi, Hall made an immediate impact on the Tulane offense during his offensive coordinator stint, helping the Green Wave rewrite its offensive record books. The Green Wave finished the 2019 season ranked 11th in the nation in rushing offense (243.2), 22nd in total offense (449.3) and 30th in scoring offense (33.1). Tulane rushed for more than 200 yards in nine games and 300 or more four times. The Tulane offense set the program record in rushing yards at 3,162 yards in 2019 and ranked second in program history in rushing yards per game (243.2), rushing touchdowns (33) and rushing first downs (166).
In 2020, the Green Wave enjoyed more success offensively as it finished No. 17 nationally in rushing offense (217.1), 19th in first downs (258) and 22nd in scoring offense (34.7).
Hall joined the Green Wave coaching staff after he spent the 2018 campaign as the Associate Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach at the University of Memphis where he helped guide the Tigers to the American Athletic Conference Championship game for the second straight season and helped the Tigers to their fifth straight bowl appearance.
During his lone season at Memphis, Hall helped guide the Tigers to a school record 42 rushing touchdowns during the regular season. In addition, Memphis finished the regular season with 3,311 rushing yards, setting a new school record. Memphis' offense ranked in the nation's top 10 in rushing (No. 5, 275.9), scoring offense (No. 6, 43.8) and total offense (No. 6, 530.3) under Hall's assistance.
Hall joined the Memphis staff in January 2018 after spending the 2017 season as the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, where six offensive players received all-conference honors. The Cajuns ranked among the best in the nation in red zone offense and turnovers lost with just 16.
In his one season as offensive coordinator at Louisiana, the Ragin' Cajuns compiled the Sun Belt Conference's third-best rushing offense with 2,204 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns. The Louisiana offense tied for the second-fewest turnovers in the Sun Belt during the 2017 season. The Cajuns were also efficient in the red zone, leading the Sun Belt by scoring on 92.9-percent of their red zone chances.
In his three-year head coaching stint at West Georgia (UWG), Hall led the Wolves to a 31-9 record, the first Gulf South Conference (GSC) title since 2000 and a pair of NCAA Division II semifinal appearances. His first two seasons at UWG produced a pair of 12-win seasons before he finished 7-4 in 2016. Hall was twice named GSC Coach of the Year and was the Super Region 2 Coach of the Year.
From 2011-13 as the head coach at West Alabama, his teams won two league titles and twice earned spots in the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
Prior to his six seasons at West Alabama, Hall enjoyed successful stints on the coaching staffs at Arkansas-Monticello, Southwest Baptist, Henderson State and Presbyterian. Hall's achievements in the coaching profession are a carryover from his illustrious career on the playing field at North Alabama.
Hall played for his father, Bobby Hall, at Amory High School leading the Panthers to the 1998 Mississippi High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Class 3A state title. From 1999-2000, he attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. In 2000, Hall set a NJCAA record for total offense in a season (4,075 yards) and added an NJCAA single-game record with nine touchdown passes.
Hall then moved to North Alabama, where he was a quarterback for the Lions from 2002-03. He won the Harlan Hill Trophy in 2003, emblematic of being America's top player in NCAA Division II. In 2003, Hall, who threw for 3,531 yards and 30 touchdowns, led the Lions to a 13-1 record and an NCAA Division II semifinals appearance.
In 2004, Hall signed a contract to play for the Tupelo FireAnts of the National Indoor Football League. Playing once again for his father, who was the head coach for the team, Hall passed for 2,046 yards and 44 touchdowns while rushing for 13 scores in the 14-game season.
A 2003 graduate of North Alabama, Hall, and wife Rebecca, have two sons – Tripp and Pete.
TICKETS
Tickets for the men's and women's basketball seasons and the upcoming baseball campaign can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
- TulaneGreenWave -
Players Mentioned
LS
/ Football
P
/ Football
K
/ Football
BAN
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
S
/ Football
SPR
/ FootballCFP Media Zoom: HC Jon Sumrall
Wednesday, December 17
CFP Press Conference: DC Greg Gasparato - 12/16/25
Tuesday, December 16
CFP Press Conference: LB Sam Howard - 12/16/25
Tuesday, December 16
CFP Press Conference: DL Santana Hopper - 12/16/25
Tuesday, December 16
