Super Bowl LV champ William Gholston joins Sickles (Fla.) football staff

William Gholston was once the longest tenured player outside of veteran linebacker Lavonte David for the 2-time Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After months of speculation whether he would be returning for a 13th season as a Buccaneer, Sickles High School out of Tampa might’ve potentially answered the question.

The Gryphons’ official football Instagram page announced over a week ago that Gholston would be joining the program’s varsity coaching staff for the 2025 season as the team’s defensive line coach. Gholston confirmed with Rivals Saturday morning that he’s a volunteer assistant coach at Sickles.

Gholston didn’t rejoin the Buccaneers last season until early August, signing on for his 12th season and helping Tampa Bay win a fourth consecutive NFC South championship. Currently, Gholston is not listed on the Buccaneers’ active roster as of writing.

“Each year I’ve been in the league, I try to cherish it like it’s my last,” Gholston said in a press conference after the 2024 season ended. “It’s a short career usually for guys. Being able to play a playoff game in my home city was huge.”

Gholston was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay as the No. 126 pick. Over the course of his 12 seasons in the NFL, Gholston collected 428 total tackles, 265 of them being solo and 19.5 sacks.

The defensive lineman’s best season in Tampa Bay was 2015 when the former Michigan State Spartan tallied 67 total tackles and three sacks.

In the season that the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV and Gholston played with 7-time champion Tom Brady, the defensive stalwart gathered 44 tackles and three sacks that 2020 campaign. Tampa Bay became the first team ever to win a Super Bowl on their home field.

Sickles is coming off the first season under Xavier Bolden, who led the Gryphons to a 2-8 finish in 2024. The Gryphons play in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Class 6A, District 8, arguably the toughest division in Tampa Bay. The district includes Armwood and Plant, both programs that have combined to win seven state championships.

Bolden’s bunch will start off the 2025 high school football season at home when they host Tampa Jefferson on Aug. 22.