Some people start life with a game plan in hand. Stefan Whelchel didn't. He had to build one himself.

Stefan's journey isn't just another "inspirational football story." It isn't about shortcuts or second chances. It's about the kind of resilience you can only build when you have no alternative. The kind that comes from living it.

Today, he's in San Diego training for UFL tryouts, chasing a dream that's been years in the making. But the road here wasn't easy. It was unstable, unpredictable, and at times, damn near impossible.

And still, he showed up. Because for Stefan, that's the only way to Be U.

Resilience Through Hardship

"I'm from Norman, Oklahoma," Stefan says. "And growing up, things were... a little unstable."

He pauses. "My dad was shot when I was 2. My mom had some struggles. So we bounced around a lot – homelessness, living in cars, motels, whatever we could find."

His voice stays steady. "My grandma was my safe haven," he says. "Whenever we could stay there, it was amazing. But she passed when I was 11. Things got a little crazy after that, and I was just trying to do my best to take care of my little sisters."

When he was 15, things reached a breaking point. "My social worker ended up taking me out of the home so I could be safer," Stefan says. A nonprofit called Bridges helped him find housing, even though he was a few years younger than most participants. "I got a job at Carl's Jr., got that first apartment, and started adjusting," he says. "It was the first time in my life I had stability. I finally knew a place would be my place, at least for a few years. That was a consistency I never had."

That sense of safety changed everything. "It meant I could finally breathe," he says. "For the first time, I could just be a kid."

Overcoming Adversity & Training for UFL Tryouts

Sports were always his outlet. His way to escape – and to belong.

"Football was the love of my life," he says. "We moved around so much that I could never really play organized, but I played anywhere and everywhere I could. My dad played JUCO [junior college] and at Oklahoma, and some of the only pictures I had of him were from football. Even though I didn't have him with me, that connection meant so much."

Today, he's training in San Diego. Back with the same coaches and teammates who helped him break out, make the switch from quarterback to wideout, and discover his confidence.

"It's a lot," Stefan says. "Technical drills, positional work, physical conditioning. Mondays and Fridays are more route focused. Tuesdays and Thursdays are all about speed. Every day involves some cardio and lifts – shoulders and back one day, squats another. And I don't skip recovery anymore... I learned that the hard way."

Stefan knows it's all about showing up. About "outworking the guy next to me," in his words. "If I can keep that mentality – AND be faster and stronger? That's how we'll get there."

Why the UFL (and Beyond)

The UFL isn't the finish line. It's a big accomplishment – and it's a step toward something bigger. "The NFL is the dream, of course," Stefan says. "Football has already taken me across the country. It's given me family, love, community.

He's not naive. He knows exactly how hard it'll be. But Stefan has a context for "hard" that most people don't.

"I didn't go through everything I went through just to end up 'okay' in life," Stefan says. "I know I can do more. I can go beyond surviving. UFL, CFL – whatever it is, I'm giving it everything."

Be U: His Way

For Stefan, "Be U" isn't just a phrase. It's a practice.

"At the end of every workout, I've learned to take a little walk for myself," he says. "One of my mentors taught me to find 'seven sounds' – just stop, focus, listen. It keeps me grounded."

And when he trains, it's never the bare minimum. "End of every set, I add another two reps. It's my way of pushing past the line."

It's no surprise that he finds his flow state in motion. "My whole life is basically prep for those moments on the field," he says. "The work in the gym, the early mornings, all of it. So that when you're on the field, there's no second guessing."

It's why he trains the way he does – deliberate, disciplined, and always hungry for more.

The Gear That Gets Him There

Stefan keeps his setup simple: gear that works as hard as he does.

"I live in the Allday Knits," he says. "They're actually a lot like my cleats... kind of like a sock, super form-fitting. I was dealing with an Achilles injury last month, and the Knits were the best to walk and work in. They feel like what I play in, so I train and run in 'em too."

When the weights come out, he switches gears. "I stick with the Outwork trainers for heavy lifts," he says. "Plus, my NOBULL bag goes everywhere, and I wear the tees pretty much every day. Anything with that logo, I'm in it," he says with a laugh.

The NOBULL Mentality

When Stefan talks about a NOBULL mindset, it's not theory. It's practice. It's resilience forged through hardship.

"Honestly, I never had a choice not to be strong," he says. "If I gave up, there was no safety net. That's just... it. So yeah, nowadays? Waking up early to train is way better than waking up early to survive."

He shrugs a little. "Today, everything feels like a privilege. Training, competing. Even the hard days."

We asked about his favorite athletes. "Kobe," he says – with no hesitation. And we see it in the mentality he trains with. Quiet confidence. Relentless work. Zero excuses.

Never Anybody but Himself

We asked Stefan to fill in the blank: "I am ______." He didn't stop to think.

"Resilient," he says. Stefan has been building from the ground up his whole life. And he's still climbing.

"Man... Just keep going," he says. "It is that simple. But it isn't always that easy. Every time I didn't know how things would work out, the only thing that ever helped was showing up."

The journey isn't about finding an easy road. It's about finding your road. And staying on it.

That's Be U. That's NOBULL. That's Stefan Whelchel.