Redshirt senior quarterback Steven Duncan intends to graduate in May and transfer to another institution to play out his final two years of collegiate eligibility, the former WKU starter announced using a tweet from his personal Twitter account on Monday afternoon.

“Thank you WKU,” Duncan tweeted. “Excited for the future.”

{{tncms-inline account=”Steven Duncan” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you WKU. Excited for the future. <a href="https://t.co/LrqWqWkkv0">pic.twitter.com/LrqWqWkkv0</a></p>— Steven Duncan (@10Stevenduncan) <a href="https://twitter.com/10Stevenduncan/status/1252302946177626112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2020</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/10Stevenduncan/status/1252302946177626112″ type=”twitter”}}

Duncan will have two years of collegiate eligibility remaining at his next school, as the signal caller announced March 30 that the NCAA had granted him a medical redshirt for his shortened 2019 season.

“Thankful that the NCAA has granted me my 6th year of eligibility!!” Duncan tweeted. “Ready for some more ball.”

Head coach Tyson Helton kept his choice for starting quarterback concealed throughout the summer and early fall last season, but he settled on Duncan over graduate transfer Ty Storey ahead of WKU’s season opener following what he called a “very close battle.”

Duncan started the Hilltoppers’ first three games at quarterback, posting a 1-2 record against Football Championship Subdivision program Central Arkansas, Florida International and Louisville.

He injured his left foot in the third quarter against the Cardinals, and Helton later confirmed after WKU’s first bye week that Duncan would be out for the remainder of the season. Helton mentioned on Sept. 23 that Duncan would be pursuing a sixth year of eligibility.

“Steven has a redshirt year still available,” Helton said. “It actually would give him two years and make him a sixth-year senior if he decided to go through that. I remember Brandon Doughty doing that, and that was extremely beneficial for Brandon Doughty with his development in the program.”

The 6-foot-4-inch, 230-pounder completed 70-of-119 passes for 790 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions in his brief 2019 stint.

Duncan played in 13 career games for the Hilltoppers, passing for 1,863 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 203 yards and three additional touchdowns on the ground.

Following Duncan’s premature departure from the Hill, Helton’s quarterback room is set to include redshirt senior Sean McCormack, redshirt junior Davis Shanley, redshirt sophomore Kevaris Thomas and incoming freshmen signees Darius Ocean and Grady Robison.

Helton discussed his quarterbacks during the program’s National Signing Day press conference in February, noting his interest in finding a quarterback in the transfer portal, preferably a graduate transfer like Storey once was, ahead of the 2020 season.

“I think our guys who have been here, any one of them could start for us,” Helton said Feb. 5. “But we’re always going to add competition, and what better way to do it than to find a good quality transfer quarterback? You know, particularly a guy who may have been in the fire, you know, played at a high level, needed a new start.”

Helton mentioned adding an extra quarterback again during an online teleconference March 30, and USC transfer JT Daniels has become a hot name on social media due to connections with former USC assistants Helton and co-offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis.

Sports Editor Drake Kizer can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Drake on Twitter at @drakekizer_.