Perseverance
Former Lobo QB Apodaca continues his quest to play as pro
Former Lobo QB Austin Apodaca keeps working in hopes of receiving an opportunity
The Andre Ingram story is not lost on Austin Apodaca.
Ingram, you may recall, is the pro basketball player who toiled for a decade in the G-League before finally getting a chance to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.
In his first game in the NBA, at age 32, he scored a team-high 19 points.
Apodaca, the former University of New Mexico quarterback, is only 24. Yet, some 17 months after his last game for the Lobos and still looking for that big break, he sees Ingram as an inspiration.
The moral of the story: never give up.
“It’s all about timing,” Apodaca said in a recent phone interview. “That’s the thing about pro sports in general. There are so many good players, but there’s a super, super fine line . ... Most of it comes down to opportunity and timing.
“I think that’s my biggest thing, is to just keep pushing through until that right time and right opportunity comes. Because when it does, I have no doubt in my mind that I’m gonna make the most of it.”
For football players, there is no equivalent of the NBA’s G-League. Pro minor leagues have come and gone. One more, another, The Alliance of American Football, is scheduled to debut shortly after the Super Bowl.
Apodaca would gladly take any opportunity he gets, but he’s still thinking in the here and now.
Last week, the former Lobo had private workouts with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.
The Bills workout, he said, wasn’t his best. The Patriots workout was much better, he said, but isn’t likely to produce a free-agent contract.
Nonetheless, he said, the workouts were good experience and something he can put on his résumé.
“I’ve gotten good feedback from the Patriots and through my agent
from them, too,” he said.
Those opportunities, Apodaca said, came partly as a result of his participation in the Spring League in late March-early April.
Not technically a league, the Spring League was more of a developmental camp and scouting event held in Austin, Texas. For Apodaca, being seen while playing in a pro-style offense — something he didn’t have a chance to do in college — was valuable experience and exposure.
“I played two years (at Washington State) in an air-raid offense and two years (at UNM) in a tripleoption offense,” he said. “... I’m kind of restarting the process a little bit.
“I was kind of behind coming out of college with my limited film, and I got film in the Spring league, pro-style film with proquality players. So, yeah, I think at the end of the day teams are noticing a little bit, and who knows what could come from it.”
Last spring, Apodaca — a northern Colorado native — worked out for the Denver Broncos but was not offered a contract.
He then signed with the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and by all accounts performed well. But Winnipeg had three veteran quarterbacks on the roster and chose to go with them for 2017.
This year, only one of those three veteran QBs, starter Matt Nichols, is still on the roster.
Again, it’s all about timing.
“When that opportunity comes, I don’t know,” Apodaca said. “Hopefully soon.
“But I’m gonna keep chugging, no matter what.”
THE GRADUATES: Nine members of the 2017 UNM football team received their undergraduate degrees on May 12. They are: Ray Baylor, offensive lineman.
Corey Bojorquez, punter.
Chris Davis, slot receiver/punt returner. Blaise Fountain, center. Romell Jordan, running back.
Austin Ocasio, linebacker.
Kene Okonkwo, defensive end.
Everett Powell, outside linebacker.
Evah Tohi, inside linebacker.
Powell and Tohi each have a year of football eligibility remaining.
Okonkwo’s degree is in business administration. All others are in liberal arts, with various emphases.