North Texas is 10 days from starting its 2022 college football season with a road trip to face Conference USA foe UTEP. The Mean Green will play a familiar face under center with junior Austin Aune winning the job over Memphis transfer Grant Gunnell. Aune started three times for North Texas in 2020 and nine times in 2021. 

Aune and the Mean Green passing attack struggled in 2021, in part due to injuries at the wide receiver position. Aune completed 51 percent of his passes last season for 1,991 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He went 15 of 33 for 240 yards and two total touchdowns in a win over UTEP. 

Aune is a product of Argyle High School who spent six seasons in the New York Yankees organization after being selected in the second round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He was a three-star quarterback prospect who was committed to TCU before choosing professional baseball. He threw for 3,411 yards and 33 touchdowns, adding 538 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, during his senior season at Argyle.