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Only five men have put on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' game day uniform more often than Will Gholston. Only two of them are defensive players. None are defensive linemen.

In 2023, Gholston became just the eighth player to record 11 or more seasons as a Buccaneer, one year after his current teammate, Lavonte David, became the seventh man on that list. By season's end he had pushed his career total to 169 regular season games played for Tampa Bay, a remarkable achievement in and of itself for a former fourth-round draft pick.

Gholston does not have any Pro Bowl appearances on his NFL resume but he does have a Super Bowl championship ring and he's been a valuable asset to the Buccaneers' defense for a very long time. The question now is, will that run continue and will he join David, Mike Alstott, Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks, Paul Gruber and Dave Moore as the only players with a dozen Buccaneer seasons? Gholston has played each of the last two seasons on one-year deals, possibly indicating that he's taking his decision about continuing his playing career on a year-to-year basis.

Gholston is one of 18 players from Tampa Bay's 2023 roster who could become unrestricted free agents on March 13, and it's not likely the team will be able to retain all of them for the 2024 season. Priorities on that list will be set and pursued. And so, in the weeks leading up to the start of the new league year, we are going to look at 10 players who are currently poised to become unrestricted free agents in mid-March. This is the full schedule of our 2024 Free Agent Focus rundown:

This list is subject to change based on potential roster moves in the coming weeks. However, we will continue today with one of the Bucs' unsung heroes of the last decade.

Player: Will Gholston

Position: Defensive Lineman

Age at the Start of the 2024 Season: 33

Experience: Entering 12th NFL season

How Acquired: Drafted in the fourth round (16th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Previous Contract(s): Gholston initially got the four-year deal that has been standard for all non-first round draft picks since 2011, a contract that took him through the 2016 season. He signed a new five-year deal just before the start of free agency in 2017 and again completed it, becoming a potential free agent again in 2022. He has played the last two seasons on a pair of one-year contracts, most recently returning just before the start of training camp last summer.

Rank in Pro Football Focus **Top 200 NFL Free Agents** for 2023: Not ranked.

2023 Performance: Gholston played in 16 regular season games and both playoff contests for the Buccaneers in 2023. While he had started 39 games over the previous four seasons in Todd Bowles' defense, he was in more of a reserve role in his 11th campaign after the arrival of first-round pick Calijah Kancey and the development of 2022 second-round pick Logan Hall. Gholston started one game each in the regular season and the postseason and was on the field for 24% of the defensive snaps in the games he played.

Gholston finished the season with 19 tackles, two passes defensed and his first career interception. That long-awaited pick came on a pass deflected by a blitzing Antoine Winfield Jr., with Gholston leaping in the middle of a scrum of Bucs and Bills big men to haul it in at the Buffalo 23. That set up a two-play game-tying touchdown drive in the second quarter.

Still valued for his stout run defense, Gholston contributed to a Buccaneers crew that finished third in the league against the ground game, allowing just 95.3 yards per game.

Career Accomplishments: Gholston has played in 169 regular season games with 88 starts, and he's appeared in at least 14 games in every season since 2014. While playing under multiple different defensive coordinators he has reshaped his body on multiple occasions to better fit the current scheme.

Gholston's career totals include 420 tackles, 19.5 sacks, 58 tackles for loss, 77 quarterback hits, one interception, 14 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. In nine playoff games, including three starts, he has added another eight tackles and four quarterback hits.

One of Gholston's best seasons came during the Buccaneers' run to the Super Bowl LV title in 2020. In addition to contributing 3.0 sacks he also led the entire defense with 20 quarterback hits. The next year, Gholston recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks and added 11 more quarterback hits for a division-winning Bucs team that tied for the NFL's best regular season record.

Other Potential Free Agent Defensive Linemen: Chris Jones (Chiefs), Justin Madubuike (Ravens), Christian Wilkins (Dolphins), Leonard Williams (Seahawks), D.J. Reader (Bengals), Grover Stewart (Colts), Sheldon Rankins (Titans), Teair Tart (Titans), Fletcher Cox (Eagles), Calais Campbell (Falcons), DaQuan Jones (Bills), Maurice Hurst (Browns), Quinton Jefferson (Jets), Javon Kinlaw (49ers), Shelby Harris (Browns), A'Shawn Robinson (Giants)

Top Defensive Line Prospects in 2024 NFL Draft: Byron Murphy (Texas), Jer'Zhan Newton (Illinois), Kris Jenkins (Michigan), Michael Hall (Missouri), T'Vondre Sweat (Texas), Brandon Dorlus (Oregon), Leonard Taylor (Miami), Michael Hall (Ohio State), Justin Eboigbe (Alabama), Maason Smith (LSU), Braden Fiske (Florida State)

TAMPA, Fla. -- — Rasmus Dahlin scored a power-play goal in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Thursday night.

With Nikita Kucherov off for hooking, Dahlin scored from in-close 1:42 into overtime off a pass from Casey Mittelstadt.

“One of the best in the world,” Mittelstadt said of Dahlin. “We’re lucky to have him, for sure.”

Dahlin, who also had an assist, joined Phil Housley as the only Buffalo defensemen to have consecutive 15-goal seasons. Housley had eight straight from 1982-83 to 89-90.

Buffalo appeared to get a break in overtime when the referees opted not to call what looked like a too many men on the ice penalty.

“Again, I’m not the ref, so plays go for you and against you,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I think everybody in the building saw it and they don’t call it. We can’t sit here and say that call was the difference, but they ended up calling the penalty against us and we couldn’t kill it off."

Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson also scored for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 21 shots to help Buffalo improve to 8-2-0 on the road since Jan. 1.

Buffalo, coming off a 3-2 loss at Florida on Tuesday night, is 10 points behind Tampa Bay, which currently holds the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

“I think obviously the last game didn’t end the way we wanted and felt like we deserve maybe a little bit of a better outcome,” Thompson said. “Tonight, I think we’re on the right side of things.”

Thompson made it 2-2 on the power play at 11:33 of the third. The Sabres' 27th-ranked power play went 2 for 3.

Brayden Point and Mitchell Chaffee scored for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves, and NHL points leader Kucherov had an assist to give him 104 this season.

The Lightning are 0-3-1 in their four home games.

Tampa Bay left wing Brandon Hagel had his 14-game point streak end. Only Steven Stamkos, who put together an 18-game run in 2009-10, had a longer one in Lightning history.

Luukkonen kept it close through 40 minutes with several strong stops, including a pad save on Point’s first-period backhander and a one-timer from the slot by Stamkos in the second.

“He made some 10-bell saves when we probably could have put this game a little bit out of reach,” Cooper said.

Vasilevskiy made a big save on a short-handed breakaway by Jordan Greenway in the third.

Chaffee put the Lightning up 2-1 with a deflection with 2:42 left in the second.

Point extended his point streak to eight games when he made a nifty move on Luukkonen and scored a power-play goal 8:12 into the game.

Tuch tied it at 1 just 2:47 later after stealing a pass by Point.

Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson didn’t play due to illness.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Host Vegas on Saturday night.

Lightning: Play the second of a five-game homestand Saturday night against Montreal.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

TAMPA – The Buffalo Sabres close out their two-game road trip on Thursday when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.

The Sabres fell 3-2 to the Florida Panthers in the first game of their road swing on Tuesday and will look to bounce back after having won seven of their last nine road contests.

Don Granato addresses the media

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. with faceoff scheduled for 7. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.

Here are five things to know before puck drop.

Defenseman Erik Johnson missed the Sabres' morning skate due to illness and is not expected to be in the lineup against the Lightning.

Goaltender Dustin Tokarski, who was recalled from the Rochester Americans Thursday morning, dressed for morning skate in what Sabres coach Don Granato said was a precaution due to an illness that has spread in the team's locker room.

Granato shared the lineup should look similar to Tuesday's game in Florida.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the first goaltender off the ice and is expected to make his 33rd start of the season, which would surpass his previous single-season career high.

Luukkonen is 11-7-0 in his last 18 games dating back to Dec. 30, posting a .933 save percentage and a 1.84 goals-against average in that span. He currently ranks first in goals-against average and second in save percentage among all NHL goaltenders who had played in at least 10 games since Dec. 30.

Following morning skate, Granato shared how he has seen Luukkonen's confidence grow after starting in 15 of Buffalo's last 17 games.

“He certainly makes the game look easy," Granato said. "Makes saves look easy, which means he’s reading situations extremely well and his net well and shooters well. Very calm and confident. So, he’s looked like a completely different goaltender.

“… We were working for years to get a goaltender to this point where he looks and feels as I mentioned and described. And that’s a long process and a lot of games and lot of downs, unfortunately, and a lot of question marks and doubts and noise. So, he’s fought through all of that to dial in and it’s very, very nice to see.”

Since Jan. 1, the Sabres have allowed 46 goals in 21 games, which is tied with Carolina for the fewest goals allowed in the NHL in that span. Buffalo has also allowed the fewest third-period goals in the league in the new year (12).

The Sabres and Lightning will meet for the third time this season after splitting their first two meetings.

Dylan Cozens scored the game-winning overtime goal in the first matchup between the two teams as Buffalo defeated Tampa Bay 3-2 at KeyBank Center on Oct. 17.

Cozens also scored the Sabres’ lone goal in a 3-1 loss to the Lightning in their last meeting in Buffalo on Jan. 20.

The Sabres will visit Tampa for their fourth and final matchup of the season on Monday, April 15, when Buffalo concludes its regular-season slate.

Tampa is currently in possession of the final Wild Card spot with 69 points and a 32-24-5 record in 2023-24.

The Lightning are led by forward Nikita Kucherov, who leads all NHL skaters with 103 points (38+65) in 60 games.

Fellow forward Brandon Hagel has recorded at least a point in 14 consecutive games, which is the longest active point streak in the NHL. He has tallied 21 points (9+12) in that span, including two goals and five assists in his last five games.

Brayden Point is also riding a lengthy, seven-game point streak, with five goals and four assists in those contests.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to get the start in goal.

Season Tickets: www.USFBullsTix.com The Bulls will open American Athletic Conference play at Tulane; Homecoming set for Oct. 19 vs. UAB

TAMPA, FEB. 29, 2024 – Coming off a 45-0 rout of Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl and a dramatic turnaround in its first season under head coach Alex Golesh, the University of South Florida learned its path for the 2024 USF Football Season presented by Tampa General Hospital as the American Athletic Conference announced schedules for all 14 teams in the league on Thursday.

With non-conference clashes vs. Bethune-Cookman (Aug. 31) and Miami (Sept. 21) in Raymond James Stadium and road dates at Alabama (Sept. 7) and at Southern Mississippi (Sept. 14) already announced, Thursday the Bulls learned the conference road that awaits as USF seeks the program's first-ever conference championship.

Kickoff times and television designations for the first three weeks of the season, as well as the season's weeknight games, will be finalized by June 1. The rest of the schedule will fall under the customary 12-day and six-day selection processes.

Coming off an emphatic bowl win and a 7-6 season that marked a six-win improvement, the best turnaround in program history and the second-best nationally in 2023, the Bulls will open the 2024 AAC campaign with a test on the road . The Green Wave has been a participant in the last two conference championship games and won the 2022 AAC championship. Tulane went 11-3 last year (8-0 AAC), falling to SMU in the championship game, and are 15-1 the last two years in AAC regular season games.

The following week, USF will get the first of two bye weeks on the season (the second coming in Week 8) before returning for a Friday night, primetime clash with 2019 AAC champion Memphis on Oct. 11 in Raymond James Stadium. The Tigers went 10-3 (6-2 AAC) last year and downed Iowa State, 36-26, in the Liberty Bowl. Memphis has won two AAC titles and made three appearances in the AAC Championship game.

The Memphis game will mark the first of at least two weekday, primetime games for the Bulls in 2024. USF will also play at FAU on Friday, Nov. 1 and the Bulls' final AAC date of the season will be a television network selection to be played at Rice on either Friday, Nov. 29, or Saturday, Nov. 30. The final date will be announced no later than Oct. 14. The Black Friday selection will come from a pool of three games, including UAB-Charlotte, Navy-East Carolina or South Florida-Rice.

USF Homecoming has been set for an Oct. 19 clash with UAB in Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls will also play home games vs. Navy (Nov. 9) and Tulsa (Nov. 23) and travel to Charlotte (Nov. 16).

The 2024 season will be the second in which The American has 14 teams under its banner, and the first with Army West Point as a football-playing member. While Army and Navy will play in the same league for the first time, the Dec. 14 Army-Navy Game at MetLife Stadium will not count as a conference game.

Each of the 14 teams in The American will play eight conference games in 2024. The top two teams in the final single-division regular-season standings will meet Friday, Dec. 6 in the 10th American Athletic Conference Football Championship. That game, which has been broadcast on ABC in each of the last nine years, will be televised in primetime.

USF FOOTBALL 2024 USF will take the field for the first of 15 spring practices on March 5 and will practice for five weeks leading up to the spring game on Sat., April 13 at Corbett Stadium on the USF campus. The game will kick off at 2 p.m.

USF returns 18 starters in 2024, nine on offense and nine on defense, from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records in 2023.

Offensive starters include record-setting quarterback Byrum Brown (Raleigh, N.C.) and wide receiver Sean Atkins (Viera), running back Nay'Quan Wright (Opa-Locka), four offensive line starters and tight ends Gunnar Greenwald (Satellite Beach) and Weston Wolff (Venice). Brown set numerous season passing records in 2023, including yards (3,292), touchdowns (26) and completion percentage (64.6%), while Atkins became the program's first, 1,000-yard receiver setting season marks for receptions (92) and receiving yards (1,054).

On defense, the Bulls return 10 of their top 12 tacklers led by linebacker Jhalyn Shuler (Abbeville, S.C.) who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023. Four defensive line starters return, including Rashad Cheney (Atlanta, Ga.) and Tramel Logan (Miami), who posted a program-record three defensive touchdowns in 2023. The Bulls also return four starters in the secondary, including their top four leaders in interceptions led by safety Logan Berryhill (Kingsland, Ga.), who had three interceptions and 56 tackles in 2023.

Season tickets for the 2024 USF football season at Raymond James Stadium are on sale now. Secure your seats for the 2024 season by calling or texting 1-800-GoBulls or by visiting www.USFBullsTix.com. All tickets are once again dynamically priced for each game based on demand and are subject to change. Tickets can be purchased online at USFBullsTix.com, by calling/texting 1-800-GoBulls or using the direct links below.

Season tickets: www.USFBullsTix.com Group tickets (10+): Call 1-800-GoBulls

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 27th season in 2023 while completing construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility. A $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center is slated for 2027. The Bulls have posted 16 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections, including 2021 consensus All-American kick returner Brian Battie, and had 32 first-team all-conference selections. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and has made 11 bowl game appearances (going 7-4 in those games), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. The Bulls posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.

Follow @USFFootball on Twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.

– #GoBulls –

By: Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing

Dozens of USF tech experts, colleges, departments and startup companies transformed Amalie Arena into a dynamic hub of innovation at Synapse 2024. The seventh annual premier Florida technology conference was packed with cutting-edge technology, entrepreneurs and investors with a common goal to drive economic growth and advance technology in Florida.

“The conditions in the Sunshine State are favorable for entrepreneurs and innovators for many reasons – one of the most significant being our higher education system,” said USF President Rhea Law while speaking to the crowd of 6,000 attendees at Synapse. “At USF, we are solving global challenges, improving lives, and creating a healthier future – and we’re doing this work in close partnership with our business and industry leaders in our communities.”

With USF’s largest presence yet, the conference highlighted the university’s endeavors and collaborative initiatives that are shaping the future of technology in Tampa Bay. A notable addition to this year's event was Synapse’s first-ever “Bull Zone” dedicated to spotlighting the inventive prowess of USF researchers and entrepreneurs, inviting attendees to engage with the experts and explore groundbreaking ideas firsthand.

Throughout the arena, USF featured a diverse array of initiatives, including interactive demonstrations of advanced technologies and engaging discussions led by renowned faculty and industry experts. USF’s Global and National Security Institute and Institute of Applied Engineering were both onsite to explain their state-of-the-art equipment, meet inventors and further their collaborations with the community.

“We’re able to grow the university’s research and innovation ecosystem because of the partnerships here,” said Taylor Johnston, chief operations officer of the Institute of Applied Engineering. In addition to attracting top talent to the Tampa Bay area, the institute is also instilling an entrepreneurial mindset within their USF student interns – an effort also recognized at Synapse.

“There is a lot of young talent that is walking around that is being exposed to the startup mentality and the tech that is out there,” Johnston said.

Attendees had the opportunity to explore a variety of USF innovations, including eight companies from the USF Connect Tampa Bay Technology Incubator.

For startup owner Manoj Kumar Ram, Synapse was an opportunity to demonstrate his latest and most developed product in front of investors and businesses interested in energy storage technologies – inventions he made during his tenure as an associate research professor at the USF College of Engineering.

“It led to the creation of my startup company,” said Ram, now the founder and CEO of PolyMaterials App, LLC. Housed inside USF’s Research Park – a growing community hub for biotechnology, life sciences research and entrepreneurship – Ram’s startup is making cutting-edge technologies more easily accessible for inventors.

“My main inspiration was to develop technologies to deliver to the public and private sectors. The Tampa Bay Technology Incubator offers incredible networking opportunities that have led to unexpected partnerships and collaborations that would not have been possible otherwise,” Ram said.

“USF is an integral part of the innovation community not only in Tampa Bay and the Synapse community, but nationally as well,” said Synapse CEO Lauren Prager. “They provide incredible talent, technology, research and entrepreneurial support that powers the ecosystem. We're thrilled that USF again has such a significant presence at Synapse Summit as the networking lounge host.”

Among the 145 speakers, 40 sessions and more than 150 exhibitors, Michael Wiemer, director of the USF Fintech Center at the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, led a discussion about USF’s role in driving technological innovation in Tampa Bay and cultivating the next generation of tech leaders. Wiemer says Synpase is an opportunity to reflect on the university’s connection to the business community while developing innovative ideas and leading the conversation of what’s next in the future.

“We are helping to advance innovation in Tampa Bay and beyond,” Wiemer said. “That’s certainly part of our role as an R1 AAU university. We are here to support our community, but we also engage, we innovate and we collaborate.”

In addition to Wiemer, Kevin Sneed, dean of USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy, was present in the "Bull Zone" and Matthew Anderson, director of the College of Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology, spoke about cancer prevention and care in rural communities as an area in urgent need of innovation.

President Rhea Law with Sarasota Cybersecurity Interdisciplinary Research Lab students and Director Jordan Howell, department of criminology assistant professor at USF Sarasota-Manatee.