Jake Retzlaff makes BYU history as first Jewish quarterback (exclusive).

• Jake Retzlaff made history at Brigham Young University as the first Jewish quarterback in program history
• The California native proudly wears a Star of David necklace under his football gear
• With his eyes now on the NFL, he recently inked a NIL deal with Manischewitz, the kosher food manufacturer

On the fourth night of Hanukkah, Jake Retzlaff and his BYU teammates take on Deion Sanders’ Colorado in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

The Jewish quarterback — who began his college career at two different junior colleges in California before the Cougars came along — enjoys every second of every snap, but as fans can attest, it’s all no wonder.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Retzlaff, 21, tells PEOPLE exclusively about playing during the holidays, then adds with a laugh, “Someone’s probably going to make a big deal about it, so I won’t.”

He continues: “But yeah, I mean, it’s going to be a lot of fun. I actually played on Yom Kippur this year (against Arizona) and we won, so it must have been a sign.”

BYU fans will take it. The team, which went 10-2 this season and 7-2 in conference play, appeared to exceed expectations in its second season in the Big 12.

Even though they narrowly missed out on making the playoffs, Retzlaff says he’s looking forward to another chance next year.

“A lot of people who thought we should have gotten in felt that our resumes showed more than where we ended up,” he tells PEOPLE. “But this team is a top 12 team. I believe that. I think if they get us into the playoffs, we’ll be there and play well. That’s why I’m looking forward to this opportunity next year.”

This season, Retzlaff found his groove and led the team at QB after starting the final four games of 2023 – and it all coincided with the global attention he received not only as a Jewish quarterback, but also as a Jewish quarterback received at a Mormon school.

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“The first time I realized I should be myself was, of course, in high school when everyone was trying to figure out who he was,” Retzlaff describes his experiences playing ball in Corona, California, where he and his brother Reggie were first known as athletes, not necessarily because they were Jewish athletes.

A friend inspired Retzlaff, a Reform Jew who had a bar mitzvah, to be proud of his heritage.

“I had this necklace,” he says as he pulls his Star of David necklace around to look at the camera on a Zoom call, “and now I wear it everywhere, everywhere.” But a buddy of mine who finally got on Idaho State played it safe, said, “Jake, drop the chain, man, be yourself.” You know what I mean? “You’re not afraid and stuff like that.” ”

He continues: “And it was like I owed it to him. Do you know what I mean? Everything that comes from simply being yourself. And since then it’s been like I’ve just been 100% unapologetically myself and believe me, the guys in the locker room know that and have seen that. And so it was fun to just embrace that and be myself. And I think it’s great because I think it’s great, the positive feedback from people all over the world.”

At a time of increasing anti-Semitism, Retzlaff received messages from all over the world.

“Stuff that says, ‘Hey dude, keep being Jewish,'” he shares. “And I think, dude, it’s crazy what came out of it. And not that it wasn’t my intention, but it didn’t occur to me to be inspirational and stuff like that. For me it was just like, I’m just going to be myself and see what comes out of it. And all the positivity was incredible.”

The signal caller says his teammates have accepted him for who he is – and the feeling is mutual.

“I mean, when you come to a place like BYU where it’s religious, it’s super easy to be religious no matter what’s going on around you,” he tells PEOPLE. “And so it was cool for me to grow a little bit in my faith when I got here. But at the same time you also get questions from people here who are very curious and just wondering about my faith. And it’s cool because I wasn’t very familiar with the LDS faith either. So for me it was about asking similar questions directly to them while also figuring out the nuances and learning from them.”

Retzlaff, who wants to make it to the NFL one day, recently inked a NIL deal with Manischewitz, the kosher food company known for its wine, matzo and other Jewish holiday dishes.

All of which means that back home in California, after the bowl game, there might be a few more of his mom’s latkes on the table.

“The cool thing is that I’m coming home at the end of Hanukkah, the last half,” he tells PEOPLE. “And it’s beautiful. Just being home during the holidays is fun and it’s always nice to be back with the family.”