College Football's Oldest Quarterback Enters Transfer Portal At 29 Years Old After Graduating High School In 2012
College football's oldest active quarterback, Austin Aune, has entered the transfer portal. Where he was previously expected to turn pro and enter the NFL Draft, it appears as though his plans have changed.
Aune, who turned 29 years old in September, has one of the more intriguing stories in sports. He graduated high school in 2012 and enrolled in college for the first time in 2018.
Born on September 6, 1993, Aune grew up in the small town of Argyle, Texas and was a two-sport star in high school. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect earned a three-star ranking as the starting quarterback and originally committed to TCU in 2011, but his future was initially in baseball.
Aune also started at shortstop and chose to forgo a college football career after being selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft and inking a $1,000,000 signing bonus. Can you blame him?
Unfortunately, the baseball thing didn't work out.
Aune spent six seasons in the New York farm system but never got out of the Class-A level. He had a career batting average of just .226 and decided to hang it up following the 2017 season.
Just a few months later, Aune turned his focus back to the gridiron and joined the Arkansas Razorbacks for their spring practice in 2018. However, the quarterback room was crowded so he transferred to North Texas before the fall.
Aune redshirted as a freshman and served as the third-string in 2019 and backup in 2020. He finally won the job during Week 5 of the 2021 season and led the Mean Green from a 1-3 record to a 6-6 finish.
As a result of his play last season, Austin Aune was the incumbent starter for 2022 as a 28-year-old.
He turned 29 not long after earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors in Week 0.
Aune led the Mean Green to a 7-5 regular season record and a C-USA Championship appearance. By throwing his 32nd touchdown of the year in the conference title game, he set a school record.
Unfortunately, Aune's career at North Texas came to a disappointing end in a chippy, three-point loss in the Frisco Bowl.
After six years of minor league baseball and five years of college football, Aune was set to turn pro. He previously indicated his intention to call it a career after the 2022 season at North Texas, and that could still be the case.
Aune may choose to remove his name from the portal and enter the NFL Draft, or chase one last opportunity on the collegiate level. Either way, whether at his third college in six years or on the professional level, he would be 30 years old by the time Week One rolls around.
If it is the former, Aune's college football career would last as long as his Minor League Baseball career.