Getting to Know Coach Appleby
Austin Appleby joined the Missouri State football staff in March of 2020 as the team’s wide receivers coach.
Appleby’s receivers were the class of the Missouri Valley Football Conerence in 2021. Newcomer Ty Scott smashed club records for receptions (66), yards (1,110) and touchdowns (8) to earn first-team all-league honors and Sophomore All-American honors. Fellow MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection Xavier Lane also stood out, racking up 56 receptions for 784 yards while claiming All-MVFC honorable mention distinction. At 14.14 yards per reception, MSU’s receivers ranked eighth nationally.
In his first season in Springfield (2020-21), All-MVFC receiver Damoriea Vick, hauled in 45 passes for 596 yards. Bears’ receivers also helped convert 38 percent of their third down opportunities and post 184.0 yards per game through the air against conference foes.
Appleby spent the 2019 season as an offensive analyst and quality control coach for coach Jim McElwain at Central Michigan. Prior to his stop in Mount Pleasant, Appleby spent the 2018 campaign as the quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator at Mount Union (Ohio).
The native of North Canton, Ohio finished his college career at Florida where he became the first graduate transfer in program history to start at quarterback for the Gators. He helped lead coach McElwain’s Gators to an SEC Eastern Division title his senior year and went on to earn MVP honors in the 2017 Outback Bowl victory over Iowa.
He passed for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns in his lone season at Florida and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Prior to coming to Gainesville, Appleby played three seasons at Purdue where he played in 16 games from 2013-15, accumulating 19 touchdown passes and 2,777 passing yards for the Boilermakers. He earned his undergraduate degree from Purdue in 2015 with a B.S. in Selling and Sales Management.
Appleby signed a professional contract with the Dallas Cowboys after his time at Florida and also spent time with the Orlando Apollos of the AAFL in 2019. He also spent part of the 2017 season as a volunteer quarterbacks coach at his alma mater.
During his high school career at North Canton Hoover, he was a finalist for the Elite 11 Quarterback Award and passed for more than 2,800 yards and 15 touchdowns in his last two prep seasons.
