Former Duke QB Brandon Connette tweets that he's heading to Fresno State

Brandon Connette will be a member of the Fresno State Bulldogs. The former Duke quarterback tweeted the news Thursday evening.

Connette split time with Anthony Boone last year for the Blue Devils but announced earlier in April that he was transferring to be closer to his sick mother. Connette is from Corona, Calif.  His mother, Nancy, had brain surgery on Dec. 12 for brain cancer.

Connette scored 27 touchdowns for Duke last season. He has already graduated from Duke and will be eligible to play immediately for Fresno State.

His arrival means he could be the immediate replacement for Derek Carr, who is widely expected to be an early pick in the NFL draft. However, if Connette wins the starting job, you can expect the Fresno State offense to look a bit different than it did with Carr under center in 2013.

Carr threw for 5,083 yards and 50 touchdowns last season. Connette is more of a dual-threat quarterback. He was 90-145 passing for 1,212 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air and was a short-yardage weapon on the ground. He ran 101 times for 337 yards and 14 touchdowns. Duke had 28 rushing touchdowns total.

After Connette's departure, Duke coach David Cutcliffe is looking for a quarterback to split time with Boone in 2014. Boone was the primary starter, but the rotation worked well for the Blue Devils in 2013 as the team went to the ACC Championship. Parker Boehme and Thomas Sirk are the main contenders to step in for Connette.

"We're starting the year with only one quarterback who has played college football, and it's a big deal right now," Cutcliffe said (via Syracuse.com)  "We're definitely looking at certain ways to use whoever ends up the backup and even the third-teamer. I want those guys to get some meaningful playing time."

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Nick Bromberg

is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg