BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff reached a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz that will include limited edition matzah boxes with his photo and hawking products such as latke mix. After a historic football season at BYU, Jake Retzlaff’s latest honor places him in the company of Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali: having his face grace an iconic box of food. Retzlaff, the star quarterback at Brigham Young University, has nabbed a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz, the Jewish food company’s first-ever sports deal. The deal includes special-edition boxes of Manischewitz matzah emblazoned with Retzlaff’s likeness. Retzlaff, 21, who grew up attending a Reform synagogue in Pomona, CA, is BYU’s first Jewish starting quarterback and one of only three Jewish students at the Mormon flagship in Utah. His story has resonated with fans, Jewish and not, both because of his athleticism and because of his public embrace of his Jewish identity. He threw 20 touchdowns as he led BYU to a 10-2 record in the Big-12 Conference and No. 17 in the final Top 25 national playoff rankings. BYU is headed to the Valero Alamo Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28 to face Deion Sanders’ Colorado. Around campus, Retzlaff wears a Star of David necklace and has taken on the nickname “BY-Jew.” Retzlaff’s sponsorship was negotiated through a 3-year-old NCAA initiative – “Name, Image, Likeness,” or NIL – that allows college athletes to profit from their personal brands. It will include a limited run of Retzlaff matzah boxes that will only be distributed in a giveaway, as well as social media and video content including Retzlaff and showcas- ing recipes and holiday traditions. An announcement video features Retzlaff eating and signing sheets of matzah and talking about his Jewish upbringing. Manischewitz declined to share how much it is paying Retzlaff for the deal, which runs from Hanukkah through Passover. “Manischewitz has always been part of my life. I grew up with matzo with peanut butter as my favorite snack, and every Passover, my family and I made matzo pizza together. At Hanukkah time our tradition was making potato latkes,” Retzlaff said in a press release, declining to comment further to JTA. “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,” his statement continued. In its announcement, Manischewitz, the kosher food brand founded in Cincinnati in 1888 and known especially for its matzah and wine, highlighted Retzlaff’s involvement in the local Jewish community in Provo, Utah where BYU is located. Retslaff has wrapped tefillin in the school’s stadium and led the city’s first public Hanukkah menorah lighting. “This partnership represents everything the brand aspires to be – celebrating our heritage and bringing awareness to Jewish food and excellence,” Shani Seidman, the chief marketing officer of Kayco, Manischewitz’s parent company, said in the release. Retzlaff’s agreement follows in the footsteps of – who else? – baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, who in 1962 invested in a Los Angeles motel that renamed itself “Sandy Koufax’s Tropicana Motel.” In the decades since, Jewish athletes have struck sponsorship deals big and small, from MLB draftee Elie Kligman’s yarmulke brand deal to WNBA legend Sue Bird’s long-running deals with Nike and American Express. Retzlaff’s NIL deal was the brainchild of Jewish comedian Eitan Levine, who had been working with Manischewitz on other content projects. Levine, who makes Jewish sports videos for his own social media profiles, had produced Instagram reels about both Manischewitz and Retzlaff, the latter of which he said received over a million views across platforms. Levine said connect ing Manischewitz and Retzlaff felt like the perfect pairing – almost like a shidduch, the Hebrew word for a romantic match. Retzlaff, Levine said, not only has an “absolutely incredible” story, but he has been shattering Jewish stereotypes along the way. “I think that he does such a good job at representing Judaism and representing just the positive side of our community,” Levine said. “There’s not a lot of Jewish football players out there. He’s a D1, 10-win school that’s going to be going to a bowl game. And he’s very proudly and prominently Jewish.”

BYU's star Jewish QB scores deal with Manischewitz

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff reached a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz that will include limited edition matzah boxes with his photo and hawking products such as latke mix. After a historic football season at BYU, Jake Retzlaff’s latest honor places him in the company of Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali: having his face grace an iconic […]

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff reached a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz that will include limited edition matzah boxes with his photo and hawking products such as latke mix.

After a historic football season at BYU, Jake Retzlaff’s latest honor places him in the company of Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali: having his face grace an iconic box of food.

Retzlaff, the star quarterback at Brigham Young University, has nabbed a sponsorship deal with Manischewitz, the Jewish food company’s first-ever sports deal. The deal includes special-edition boxes of Manischewitz matzah emblazoned with Retzlaff’s likeness.

Retzlaff, 21, who grew up attending a Reform synagogue in Pomona, CA, is BYU’s first Jewish starting quarterback and one of only three Jewish students at the Mormon flagship in Utah. His story has resonated with fans, Jewish and not, both because of his athleticism and because of his public embrace of his Jewish identity.

He threw 20 touchdowns as he led BYU to a 10-2 record in the Big-12 Conference and No. 17 in the final Top 25 national playoff rankings. BYU is headed to the Valero Alamo Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 28 to face Deion Sanders’ Colorado.

Around campus, Retzlaff wears a Star of David necklace and has taken on the nickname “BY-Jew.”

Retzlaff’s sponsorship was negotiated through a 3-year-old NCAA initiative – “Name, Image, Likeness,” or NIL – that allows college athletes to profit from their personal brands. It will include a limited run of Retzlaff matzah boxes that will only be distributed in a giveaway, as well as social media and video content including Retzlaff and showcas- ing recipes and holiday traditions. An announcement video features Retzlaff eating and signing sheets of matzah and talking about his Jewish upbringing.

Manischewitz declined to share how much it is paying Retzlaff for the deal, which runs from Hanukkah through Passover.

“Manischewitz has always been part of my life. I grew up with matzo with peanut butter as my favorite snack, and every Passover, my family and I made matzo pizza together. At Hanukkah time our tradition was making potato latkes,” Retzlaff said in a press release, declining to comment further to JTA.

“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,” his statement continued.

In its announcement, Manischewitz, the kosher food brand founded in Cincinnati in 1888 and known especially for its matzah and wine, highlighted Retzlaff’s involvement in the local Jewish community in Provo, Utah where BYU is located. Retslaff has wrapped tefillin in the school’s stadium and led the city’s first public Hanukkah menorah lighting.

“This partnership represents everything the brand aspires to be – celebrating our heritage and bringing awareness to Jewish food and excellence,” Shani Seidman, the chief marketing officer of Kayco, Manischewitz’s parent company, said in the release.

Retzlaff’s agreement follows in the footsteps of – who else? – baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, who in 1962 invested in a Los Angeles motel that renamed itself “Sandy Koufax’s Tropicana Motel.” In the decades since, Jewish athletes have struck sponsorship deals big and small, from MLB draftee Elie Kligman’s yarmulke brand deal to WNBA legend Sue Bird’s long-running deals with Nike and American Express.

Retzlaff’s NIL deal was the brainchild of Jewish comedian Eitan Levine, who had been working with Manischewitz on other content projects. Levine, who makes Jewish sports videos for his own social media profiles, had produced Instagram reels about both Manischewitz and Retzlaff, the latter of which he said received over a million views across platforms.

Levine said connect ing Manischewitz and Retzlaff felt like the perfect pairing – almost like a shidduch, the Hebrew word for a romantic match.

Retzlaff, Levine said, not only has an “absolutely incredible” story, but he has been shattering Jewish stereotypes along the way.

“I think that he does such a good job at representing Judaism and representing just the positive side of our community,” Levine said. “There’s not a lot of Jewish football players out there. He’s a D1, 10-win school that’s going to be going to a bowl game. And he’s very proudly and prominently Jewish.”