As a member of the varsity football team in 2009, Appleby served as a backup quarterback for the Vikings, who would go on to lose in the State Semi-Final game.

[3] Following his Elite 11 performance, Appleby's recruiting picked up momentum, landing his first power conference scholarship offer from Louisville.

In 2014, Purdue had a quarterback position battle in fall practice, this time between Appleby, Danny Etling, and true freshman David Blough.

Appleby pushed hard for the starting spot over the entrenched Etling, but fell just short and was named the backup on August 18.

[8] On August 25, 2015, head coach Darrell Hazell named Appleby the starting quarterback for the opening game of the 2015 season.

[11] On January 4, 2016, Appleby announced his decision to play his final year of college football at the University of Florida as a graduate transfer.

On March 18, 2020, Appleby accepted the wide receivers assistant coach position at Missouri State University, where he remained for three years.