Mike Elko and Riley Leonard both left Duke after the 2023 season but will be in the same stadium — albeit on opposite sidelines — on Aug. 31.

Elko left the Blue Devils to return as head coach to Texas A&M, where he was defensive coordinator from 2018-21. The Aggies open the 2024 season at home against Notre Dame, where Leonard — a Fairhope native — transferred after three seasons at Duke.

During his appearance Thursday at SEC Media Days in Dallas, Elko said he and Leonard have talked several times about facing off in College Station next month. He called Leonard a “phenomenal quarterback.”

“He’s a phenomenal competitor,” Elko said. “He obviously played a huge role in our success at Duke, and in a lot of ways me getting this job here at Texas A&M. And so the irony of playing against him in the opener certainly isn’t lost on me.

“He’s going to do everything he possibly can to make sure he has the upper hand on me for the first time in his life. It’ll be a healthy competition. I have so much respect for him, his family, who he is as a young man, and so kind of wish there would be any other quarterback on the other side for the opener.”

Leonard played three years at Duke, starting the last two seasons. After rushing and passing for a combined 33 touchdowns in 2022, he was limited to only seven games last season due to an ankle injury.

Kickoff for Texas A&M-Notre Dame is set for 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 on ABC.