Duke junior quarterback Riley Leonard became the face of the Blue Devils’ meteoric rise in becoming relevant in football.

The 6-foot-4, 212-pounder will now be the face of another college football program with plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Leonard is following coach Mike Elko out the door in Durham, N.C. Elko was just hired this past weekend at Texas A&M.

Leonard guided the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record in 2022, and a 4-1 start this season before suffering an ankle injury late in the 21-14 loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 30. Leonard returned to play parts of the Florida State and Louisville games, and then was shut down after Oct. 28.

Leonard went 95-of-165 passing for 1,102 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions this season, and rushed 58 times for 352 yards and four scores.

Leonard broke out in 2022 by going 250-of-391 passing for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He impressively ran 124 times for 699 yards and 13 scores. His biggest win was topping Wake Forest 34-31 on Nov. 26, throwing for 391 yards and four interceptions.

Leonard was a three-star prospect in the class of 2021 coming out of Fairhope (Ala.) High. Rivals.com ranked him the No. 15 dual-threat quarterback in the country. He signed with Duke over offers from Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Syracuse and Nebraska among others.

Leonard’s next coach will be his third within four years. He was signed by former Duke coach Dave Cutcliffe, and learned from him in 2021. Leonard then thrived under Elko until injuries derailed him.

Duke returns freshmen quarterbacks Grayson Loftis and Henry Belin IV. Loftis threw for 823 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions while filling in for Leonard.