How does a quarterback go from playing for an 0-24 high school football program to competing professionally around the world?
In this episode of The Gametime Guru, Shane Larson sits down with professional quarterback, offensive coordinator, and football entrepreneur Justin Sottilare.
Justin shares his journey from a struggling high school program to playing for nationally competitive Division III powerhouse Wesley College. He entered college as one of eight quarterbacks on the roster, considered quitting, and ultimately worked his way into opportunities to contribute to a winning program.
After college, Justin planned to become a teacher and football coach. Then an unexpected message opened the door for him to play professional American football in Europe. What he initially thought might be an April Fool's joke became an international playing career that took him to Germany, Australia, and other football programs around the world.
Justin began playing professionally overseas in 2014, initially retired in 2021, and later returned to the field. He is now playing quarterback professionally again at 36 years old while continuing to coach and build businesses within the football industry.
This conversation covers:
- How Justin remained committed during an 0-24 stretch in high school
- Why refusing to quit helped him move up the college depth chart
- What he learned inside an elite Division III football program
- How he received his first opportunity to play professionally in Europe
- What the talent, competition, and atmosphere are like in European football
- Why international football can create opportunities for players after college
- How Justin became an offensive coordinator while continuing to play quarterback
- Why he spent years developing repeatable systems for football coaches
- How he turned his football knowledge into the American Football Academy
- Why it took a full year for his business to generate its first revenue
- How Spiral XO helps coaches organize and manage their football programs
Justin also takes us behind the creation of Spiral XO.
Spiral XO is an all-in-one football coaching and program management platform created by experienced football coaches who understand how much time goes into running a team.
The platform helps coaches manage digital playbooks, player quizzes, practice plans, scouting reports, scout cards, team communication, calendars, in-game analytics, equipment, player development, and other important parts of a football program.
Spiral XO can also integrate information from film platforms such as Hudl and QuickCut, helping coaches reduce repetitive administrative work and spend more time preparing their teams and developing their players.
One of its most valuable features automatically creates interactive player quizzes from a team's playbook. Players can draw their assignments, receive immediate feedback, and demonstrate whether they truly understand their responsibilities. Coaches can then review each player's answers without manually creating and grading every quiz.
Whether you are an athlete, football coach, athletic director, entrepreneur, or sports fan, Justin's story offers powerful lessons about persistence, preparation, leadership, problem-solving, and building a career around something you genuinely love.
Learn more about Justin's businesses:
Explore Spiral XO and book a demo
Visit the American Football Academy
Connect with The Gametime Guru:
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What part of Justin Sottilare's journey stood out most to you?
