Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
It is never too late to find your path
It is never too late to find your path in life.
Austin Aune is a prime example.
Aune was a two-sport athlete at Argyle High School in Argyle, Texas. He was the starting quarterback on the football team during the fall, and the starting shortstop for the baseball team each spring. His senior year, Aune threw for 33 touchdowns, and was graded as a three-star recruit. When it came time to pick a college, Aune committed to play football for TCU, just 40 minutes down I-35 from Argyle.
But when the New York Yankees come calling, you listen.
The Yankees drafted Aune in the second round of the 2012 MLB draft, and Aune passed on the offer from TCU to enter the Yankees’ organization.
After six years in minor league baseball, Aune never rose above single-A, and even a position switch to the outfield did not take. He was released by the Yankees, and later the Tampa Bay Rays, and his baseball days ended.
But football was still calling him.
Aune participated in spring practice at Arkansas in 2018, yet due to a deep depth chart at quarterback, he enrolled at North Texas. Aune worked his way up the depth chart, starting out as the team’s third-string quarterback before taking over as the starter midway through the 2021 campaign. After North Texas started 1-3, Aune led them to bowl eligibility, including an upset win over then-ranked UTSA.
The Mean Green won the 2021 Frisco Bowl with him at the helm.
This past season, Aune remained the starter for North Texas, leading the team to a 7-7 record and throwing 33 touchdown passes, just like he did his final season at Argyle High School.
That set a new school record.
North Texas again qualified for the Frisco Bowl, which they lost to Boise State. Aune threw for 238 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
What’s next for Aune? Another stop in the college ranks. The 29-year old QB announced on Thursday that he was entering the transfer portal, with another season of eligibility remaining.
He will be 30 by the end of next football season.
Life has a funny way of sending you down a few different paths, and sometimes it takes a little longer than you might expect to figure out just what the right lane for you really is. Aune is living proof.
Here’s hoping he crushes it next year, wherever he lands.
