The 23-year-old will study and ply his trade at punting, and took to social media to express his gratitude at the opportunity.
“I’m extremely grateful to announce that I have accepted a full scholarship to study and play football at Rutgers University,” Appleby said in a Twitter post.
“Thanks to all my family and friends, I’m lucky to have their support.
“I can’t wait to to get to work.”
Appleby also gave thanks to ProKick Australia and the coaching team at Rutgers for his inclusion.
The New Jersey-based Rutgers went 5-8 during the recent Division One season, and is widely considered to be one of top college football programs in the country.
After 11 games for the Magpies since being rookie-drafted in 2017, Appleby was delisted by the Pies at the end of 2020 before joining the ranks of North Melbourne’s VFL side.
Appleby joins a significant list of former AFL players to make the code switch, but he’s not alone in the names out of the Murray region to make the trek to the US.
Moama’s Tom Sheldon laced up the boots for North Carolina University in 2016, also as a punter.
Sheldon, speaking to The News last year, admitted his two-season stint was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience really and something you wouldn’t change, it is all a bit of a blur now and it comes and goes pretty quick — but it was unbelievable fun and something I am very happy I did,” Sheldon said.
