Recruit Profile: Austin Apodaca

By TWolf



I decided to switch things up from the usual articles about the Washington State Cougars. With all the incoming recruits I thought it would be a good idea to get a more in-depth look at one of them. First one up, Austin Apodaca, 6'3" 180 pound quarterback out of Silver Creek High School in Longmont, Colorado.

First, a little history. Longmont is a town of 86,303 located in Boulder County 16 miles from Boulder and 37 miles from Denver. It was named one of the Top 100 Places to Live by Money Magazine in both 2006 and 2008. An interesting fact I fount is that, according to the Software and Information Industry Association, Boulder/Longmont area is home to the highest concentration of software-related jobs in the nation.

Enough with the quick history, this article is about Austin and what he brings to Washington State's football program. To date Austin has compiled 5925 yards passing, 66 touchdown passes, and a quarterback rating of 104. Since he became the starter Silver Creek has amassed a record of 20-10. (Forgive me if these stats are off as they were taken from maxpreps.com). In my opinion stats only tell you part of what a recruit brings to the program, so I wanted to know a little more about him. He was more than nice enough to answer a few questions for me over Facebook.

twolf: Are there any similarities between Longmont and Pullman?


Austin:  It is pretty similar to Pullman because of the very local feeling it has to it. You see alot of people you know around town in Longmont. Also its similar because its relatively close to Denver, like Pullman to Spokane, so its not too hard to get into the bigger city.


twolf: Everyone that looks it up knows about the great stats you've put up. What is the one thing you would like people to know about you outside of the numbers? 


Austin:  I pride myself on being a great leader. The quarterback is always in the spotlight, so when things go bad I have to be the first one to keep everybody focused.


twolf: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?


Austin: In my spare time, I love to go fishing. Whenever we have some time, my recievers and I will go to the lake to fish. I also love playing basketball and baseball.


twolf: There is a good chance you will redshirt your freshaman year since Jeff Tuel will be a senior. If that happens, what are your expectations going into your freshman year? Are you ok with redshirting for a year if that's the route the coaching staff goes?


Austin:  Yes, i'll redshirt my first year. I plan on gaining alot of good weight during my 
redshirt year and working to learn and understand the offense, working hard in the weight room and in practice/film.


twolf: I am always interested to find out from recruits, especially out of state ones, why they chose the college they did. What made you choose Washington State University?


Austin:  I chose Washington State because I feel it is the best fit for me and I absolutely 
loved everything about the program and the whole university. I can't wait to get to Pullman and start going to work.


twolf: Were any other PAC-12 schools interested in you? Who else were you considering?


Austin:  Oregon, Oregon State, and Colorado were also interested in me


twolf: What do you view is the best asset of a quarterback? Vision, arm strength, or IQ?


Austin:  I think the best asset for a quarterback is to know the game and play with passion. The desire to win is most important in my opinion.


twolf: The next question is to prepare you of the kind of questions you'll get from the
 resident #1 Cougar fan and writer in the area, Jim Moore. Do you have a dog? If so, what kind and what's his/her name?


Austin:  I do not have a dog haha


I can tell he will have many fans once he gets to Washington State. I am already one of them. 


I am sure Austin will have a great career at Washington State, both on and off the field. From all my discussions with him on Facebook I can tell he's a great person and is as much of a Cougar already as anyone who has gone there. With him and the others that have already committed this program is only going up.


Thanks again for doing the interview Austin. You rock!