My 95 yo Dad who lives with us brought so many bulbs with him when we joined homes and he can't remember this ! Thanks so much to anyone who can help us learn about it on zone 8b.

Looks similar to a lily bulb.

It's a lily.
(Lilium)

Agree, a lily (genus lilium). It appears to be sprouting out of season. If you haven't already get it planted so the tops of the sprouts are an inch or two under the surface of the soil. They like sun but half a day will do (the stems may lean toward the light though).

Thank you so much everyone. I showed your responses to my Dad, and after some thought he guessed that he put an Easter Lily in the ground "to see what it would do" He is always looking for new plant projects that interest him but is basically confined now to inside his home. Here is a photo of him caning a chair!
I hope everyone has a restful holiday weekend!