Former Oklahoma Sooners coach delivered a powerful statement aimed at Texas

Even though Bob Stoops is now coaching a team in Texas, his rivalry with the Longhorns hasn’t faded one bit.

Four years after stepping down as Oklahoma’s head coach, Stoops took over the XFL’s Arlington Renegades—now part of the newly merged UFL. The Renegades have started the spring season strong with a 2-0 record, notching wins over both of the league’s other Texas-based teams.

Following Arlington’s narrow 11-9 victory over the Houston Roughnecks on Sunday, Stoops was asked in the postgame press conference if he took pride in being the unofficial “Texas state champion” of the UFL.

With a grin, Stoops responded, “You won’t catch a former Oklahoma head coach saying that. I’ve had plenty of wins over Texas teams already.”

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During his 18-year tenure at Oklahoma, Bob Stoops compiled an impressive 11-7 record against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. His dominance didn’t stop there—playing in the Big 12, Stoops consistently outperformed other Texas programs like Texas A&M, Texas Tech, TCU, and Baylor. He also won numerous high-stakes recruiting battles for top Texas talent, including landing future star Adrian Peterson.

Now in his fourth season as head coach of the Arlington Renegades, Stoops originally took the reins in 2020. However, the XFL shut down after just one season, forcing a pause in the team’s operations until 2023, when the XFL and USFL merged to form the UFL.

Stoops led the Renegades to a championship in their return season but faced some challenges the following year. In 2025, though, the Renegades have come out hot, starting 2-0 with wins over the Houston Roughnecks and San Antonio Brahmas. With several former Sooners on the roster, they’ll look to keep the momentum going this Friday at 7 p.m. CT when they take on the Birmingham Stallions.