Earlier this year, 2017 Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate Jared Scott thought his football playing career was over. Then his agent called and presented him a chance to resume his career with a pro team. Thing was, the team was located overseas – Switzerland to be exact.
“It kind of came out of nowhere,” Scott told Wednesday Journal in a phone interview. “Basically, I’d come home from coaching in Utah and was figuring out what was next. I’d finished the interview process for a corporate job and got offered it. Soon as that happened, I got a call to play football again.”
Scott, who also played basketball at OPRF, accepted the offer to play for the Alpine Rams, a team based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. The Rams play in the eight-team American Football League Europe, also known as The League Europe. The league, which also has teams in Austria, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland, recently concluded its debut season.
In 10 games with Alpine, Scott had 47 receptions for 658 yards and four touchdowns. He added a touchdown on his only rushing attempt in the season. Not bad for a guy who hadn’t played since 2023.
“It was great. Just a different experience overall,” Scott said of his time in Europe. “I got to see a different part of the world. Switzerland as a whole was great, plenty of big cities and small cities. Every city had a lake and they were all nice and clean. I used to go to the lake in (Biel/Bienne) all the time and it reminded me of Lake Michigan.”
Scott didn’t actually arrive in Switzerland until June. AFLE teams are allowed only four American players on their rosters, and the opportunity for Scott opened up when one of Alpine’s American players suffered a season-ending injury.
“It was unfortunate, but that’s how I was able to get out there,” he said.
But once he started playing, he made the most of it. Scott’s 658 yards put him eighth in the league among receivers, something that he’s proud of.
“My last three games, I had over 100 yards in each of them,” he said. “Going out there, I initially felt like I was going to get closure to football and go out on my last hurrah, but what I realized was that I have more to give to the game, so I’m hopeful something opens up, whether it’s back here in the States – UFL (United Football League) or Arena – or back in Europe.”
The AFLE experience is just the latest installment of Scott’s football journey since graduating from OPRF. He went to four different schools in college: University of Wyoming (where he played with Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen), Prairie View A&M University, Jacksonville State University, and Idaho State University.
Scott went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft but signed with the Carolina Panthers following a tryout at their rookie minicamp. He was released after training camp but signed with the Indianapolis Colts and spent the year on the practice squad.
Scott played for the Boston Breakers of the USFL in 2023 and was drafted by the Arlington Renegades in the first round of the 2024 UFL draft, but he was released. He then went into coaching, serving as a football assistant in 2024 at Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas, then as an offensive quality control/assistant wide receiver coach in 2025.
“Stepping away from playing, I got a different perspective,” Scott said of his coaching foray. “I was still training avidly for a playing opportunity, but a friend of mine was a trainer who volunteered some of his time coaching (at Trinity Christian). He recommended me and it ended up working out. I had a really fun time doing that, giving back to the kids.
“Then a friend of mine got a job coaching receivers at (the University of Utah) and wanted to bring me in to work under him. That was really fun, and I was glad to get the experience at such a high (college) level. I enjoyed being a bridge to the players and coaches.”
Scott, who received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Jacksonville State and his master’s in athletic administration from Idaho State, will continue to train in preparation for another possible playing opportunity. He’ll also do substitute teaching in Texas and plans on getting his full teaching certification.
While obviously hoping to play next year, Scott is open to the idea of eventually getting into coaching on a more regular basis.
“If you were to ask me 2 or 3 years ago,” he said, “I’d have said no, I wasn’t interested in coaching. But the experience I’ve gotten is pretty valuable. If the opportunity comes, for sure I will consider it, but if not, I will look at other things.”