The Stoops family name in the UFL and Dallas Renegades lives on despite former head coach Bob Stoops stepping away from the league.
His son, Drake Stoops, is making his spring football debut as a wide receiver and special teams returner for the Renegades in 2026. Stoops was an undrafted free agent back in 2024 to the Los Angeles Rams where he would ultimately get cut from the team at the end of training camp.
Now Stoops is back in football and ready to prove that he belongs in the NFL with the best of them. He sat down with UFL NewsHub at UFL Media Day to discuss his first experience in spring football, what he's focused on, and his conversations with his dad about playing in the league.
Drake Stoops on Renegades training camp in Year 1
Stoops came in with a major disadvantage from guys like Tyler Vaughns and Deontay Burnett who already have chemistry with quarterback Luis Perez, but made quite the impression to the point of making the final 50-man roster. He talked about how training camp has been going and some of the big adjustments he's been going through.
"Yeah, it's been great. It's definitely an accelerated process, so you got to learn quickly and adapt on the fly. But as far as everything else goes, coaching staff's great, teammates have been great. I'm really excited about the opportunity and just excited to be playing football again."
"I think really the biggest difference is just how fast you have to learn and adapt and how quickly things really do get going. Other than that though, I mean, the brand of football, the level of talent and competitiveness, it's all still there. It's really exciting. Like I said, very exciting opportunity because of all of those factors."
Chemistry with his quarterbacks has been a big focus and something that will continue to be worked on as the season rolls along.
"I think we've made huge strides in this training camp. And, you know, early on we had to build it, we had to find it. And then now I feel like we're really getting to the point where we're fine-tuning it. And, you know, that's the biggest thing between receivers and quarterbacks is you being in the spot they expect you to be in and then them putting the ball in the spot that you're getting to. And so you kind of have to have that, you know, divine intervention, if you will, for him to throw the ball 50 yards downfield and you run right under it and right in stride and, you know, score a touchdown. Like, all those things take time and chemistry to build, like you said. So I think we're getting to the point where we're fine-tuning it, and that's a good thing."
On an individual standpoint, it's not just about the offensive side of things that Stoops is focused on with the Renegades. He also wants to make a strong impact on special teams in the return game.
"Yeah, for me, I've been, I've been focusing on, you know, not dropping any balls for sure and learning the offense quickly so that I can, you know, add my own nuances within the routes and, you know, kind of put my own spin on things within the route concept or the play itself for sure. And so you have to learn quickly, you know, as fast as this process is, like I said. But as far as myself as a player, trying to find more of a role on special teams in any way that I can, definitely being a punt returner, being sure-handed back there catching everything and making the first one miss, getting the first first down for our offense. And then, you know, trying to be— play a little bit of kick return too. And then The new style of kickoff in this league and the NFL as well is definitely creating opportunity for big plays. And so trying to fine-tune those things and learn our schemes and definitely special teams has been a big one. And then as a receiver, just playing very detailed and learning the offense and then playing with great pad level, great speed and making all my routes look the same."
Drake Stoops on what he discusses with Bob Stoops regarding UFL
Of course, Renegades fans are very aware of Bob Stoops as he had coached the team for four years, leading them to an XFL league title in 2023. Even with him out of the league, Drake Stoops still talks to his father about how his practices are going.
"I'll talk to him about how practice went. But really, he's just happy that I'm playing football again and I'm out here competing, which makes me happy. And at the end of the day, he's just always happy if I'm happy and he's proud of me and what I've accomplished this far. And I think he'll always be there just to listen to how things are going and always lead me in the right direction."
Drake Stoops has an opportunity to cement his own legacy into spring football the way his dad did, and make a whole different kind of impact that Renegades fans are looking forward to seeing in 2026.