Duke football transfer tracker: QB Riley Leonard is transferring. Who else is on the move?

Duke’s players got a one-week head start on the transfer portal thanks to Mike Elko resigning as Duke’s coach to take the same job at Texas A&M on Nov. 27.

So while the NCAA transfer portal opened for all college football players on Monday, some Blue Devils already had their names in due to the coaching change.

Quarterback Riley Leonard highlights the list, but defensive linemen Aeneas Peebles and RJ Oben will also be sought after.

This list will be updated when any other Duke players enter their names in the portal, and any players who commit to joining the Blue Devils will also be added.

Outgoing transfers

Riley Leonard, quarterback: Instantly became a hot commodity nationally once he entered his name in the transfer portal. Leonard was behind only Florida State’s Jordan Travis and North Carolina’s Drake Maye among ACC quarterbacks before a sprained ankle on his right foot and a turf toe on his left foot cut his season short. Notre Dame is expected to be his new school, although he’s yet to make that announcement.

Aeneas Peebles, defensive tackle: A Raleigh native, Peebles tied for Duke’s lead this season with 8.5 tackles for loss (matching safety Brandon Johnson’s total). Peebles recorded four sacks in the regular season.

RJ Oben, defensive end: Duke’s team leader in sacks (5.0) this season, Oben also recorded an additional six quarterback hurries as he became a force off the edge for the Blue Devils’ defense.

Charlie Ham, kicker: Duke’s kickoff specialist the past two seasons after Todd Pelino took over extra-point and field-goal kicking for the Blue Devils. During his Duke career, Ham made 36 of 50 (72%) field goals and 91 of 93 (97.8%) of his PAT kicks.

Jaden Watkins, cornerback: After enrolling at Duke in January 2022, saw action in one game over the past two seasons for the Blue Devils. A standout wide receiver at the Asheville School, Watkins moved to cornerback last summer.