Nowadays, Sooner Nation has a reason to care about football basically all year.
Seven former Oklahoma players are on rosters of teams in the UFL, which begins its season on Friday. Former OU head coach Bob Stoops also coaches the Arlington Renegades.
The UFL was created when the XFL and USFL merged, creating an eight-team minor league spring football league.
Good luck to our former Sooners as @TheUFL season kicks off today! ☝️ pic.twitter.com/TImoBVzLBm
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) March 28, 2025
Here are the seven Sooners who will be playing this spring.
Amani Bledsoe
Bledsoe plays defensive end for the Arlington Renegades under Stoops. This will be Bledsoe's first season in the league after bouncing around the NFL since 2019 between the Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons.
Isaiah Coe
Coe just finished his career as a defensive lineman at OU in 2023. He never got a chance in the NFL before joining the St. Louis Battlehawks in October.
Adrian Ealy
Ealy also plays under Stoops as an offensive lineman. He was on seven different NFL teams in just two years before joining the Seattle Sea Dragons in 2024 then signing with the Renegades this year.
Dillon Faamatau
This will be Faamatau's third season with the Memphis Showboats since leaving OU in 2020. He's never gotten much playing time, but continues to do enough to earn a roster spot.
Tre Norwood
Norward, a defensive back, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was there for two years, then the 49ers and Bills in 2023, before joining the UFL and Birmingham Stallions this year.
LaRon Stokes
Stokes is yet another Sooner on the Renegades with Stoops. This will be his second season on the Renegades' defensive line. He had 28 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup last season.
Perrion Winfrey
Winfrey, a defensive tackle, has a ton of talent but trouble off the field and an injury squandered his chance in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns took Winfrey in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft before eventually cutting him after he was arrested. He then spent time with the NEW York Jets before an injury derailed that situation. He finally signed with the Birmingham Stallions for this season.