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BYU Quarterback Celebrates Alamo Bowl Win with New Manischewitz Ad

Cougars' Jake Retzlaff details what fuels him in humorous ad for Jewish food brand.

Michael Ehrlich

Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) holds the Alamo Bowl championship trophy after the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Dec 28, 2024; San Antonio, TX, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) holds the Alamo Bowl championship trophy after the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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Fresh off a dominating Alamo Bowl victory over Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and Colorado, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff has released a new commercial for Manischewitz that dives deeper into one of the most authentic NIL partnerships to date.

The "BYJEW" Retzlaff - as he is affectionately nicknamed - recently partnered with the Jewish food brand to release a limited-edition matzo box featuring the Cougar quarterback. In a new ad - directed by New York-based writer and comedian Eitan Levine (The Daily Show, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live) - Retzlaff talks about what fuels him on and off the field.

The tongue-in-cheek commercial features Retzlaff in a custom No. 12 Manischewitz football jersey and highlights his limited-edition Matzo box, that appeared - via Levine - at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

“This project was such a seamless fit," Levine told Sports Illustrated. "Jake was awesome to work with and the concept could not have been more natural. Beyond honored I could add to the legacy of BYJEW.”

BYU finished the season 11-2 after dismantling Colorado 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl, further proving they belonged in the College Football Playoff. Retzlaff threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in his redshirt junior season, where his nickname took off nationally.

As the first Jewish quarterback in BYU football history, Retzlaff was certainly a trailblazer as one of three Jewish students at the Mormon university. Off the field, he led Provo’s first public Hanukkah menorah lighting and will join a live Q&A on Jan. 25 - with Levine - to talk through his experiences thus far.

“Manischewitz has always been part of my life," Retzlaff said when he initially announced his partnership with the brand. "I grew up with matzo with peanut butter as my favorite snack, and every Passover, my family and I made matzo pizza together.  At Chanukah time our tradition was making potato latkes.  Now, at BYU, I’m able to share these traditions with my teammates. This partnership is about more than football - it’s about creating connections and celebrating Jewish pride in ways I never expected.” 

With expectations sky-high for next year, Retzlaff and BYU kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Portland State.

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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