William Gholston

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William Gholston
William Gholston - 2020 Playoffs - WFT vs. Buccaneers (51002019556) (cropped).jpg
Gholston with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
Personal information
Born: (1991-07-31) July 31, 1991 (age 34)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:281 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school: Southeastern (Detroit, Michigan)
College: Michigan State (2010–2012)
Position: Defensive end
NFL draft: 2013: 4th round, 126th pick
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2024
Total tackles:427
Sacks:20.5
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:14
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

William Gholston (born July 31, 1991) is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, and was selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft. [1]

Contents

Early life

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Gholston attended Mumford High School in Detroit, where he was a USA Today High School All-American in 2008. For his senior year, he transferred to Southeastern High School. [2] He recorded a career-best 115 tackles as a senior, with 44 resulting in losses including 7 sacks, and also forced 10 fumbles and blocked two punts.

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the third best strong side defensive end in the nation. [3] He accepted a scholarship from Michigan State University over offers from Michigan and Ohio State.

College career

Gholston enrolled in Michigan State University, and played for the Michigan State Spartans football team from 2010 to 2012. [4] As a freshman in 2010, he saw action in the first 10 games of the 2010 season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury against Minnesota. He recorded 13 tackles and five quarterback hurries. In 2011, he became a full-time starter for the Spartans. He led the Spartan defensive linemen with 70 tackles and finished tied for seventh in the Big Ten Conference with 16.0 tackles for loss (50 yards); that total also ranks tied for seventh in MSU single-season history, and he also was tied for 11th in the Big Ten with 5.0 sacks (30 yards). He tied a Spartan-bowl record with 5.0 tackles for loss (16 yards), including a career-best 2.0 sacks (10 yards), in the 33–30 triple overtime win against No. 18 Georgia in the 2012 Outback Bowl, and garnered all-conference second team honours. As a junior in 2012, he led the Spartan defensive linemen and ranked fourth on the team with 59 tackles. He also led the team and ranked eighth in the Big Ten with 13.0 tackles for loss (49 yards), and led the team with 4.5 sacks (24 yards).

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 6+14 in
(1.99 m)
281 lb
(127 kg)
34 in
(0.86 m)
10+38 in
(0.26 m)
4.96 s1.75 s2.89 s4.59 s7.20 s28.5 in
(0.72 m)
9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)
23 reps
All values from NFL Combine [5] [6]

On January 3, 2013, Gholston announced he would forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft. [7] On April 27, 2013, Gholston was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round with the 126th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. [8] The Buccaneers previously acquired the pick used to select Gholston from the New England Patriots in a trade that sent Aqib Talib to New England. Gholston signed his contract on May 14, 2013, and his four-year deal is worth $2,560,544; it included a $400,544 signing bonus.

He finished his rookie season in 2013 as a rotational player earning 30 combined tackles (14 solo) and two quarterback sacks. [9]

In 2014, he became the team's starter at left end for the defensive line when an injury to Adrian Clayborn put Clayborn on the IR list ending his season. He eventually lost the starting job to waiver wire pick up Jacquies Smith and was relegated to rotational duties for the remainder of the 2014 season. He finished the year with 41 combined tackles (27 solo) and two quarterback sacks. [10]

Gholston played in all 16 games while starting 11 in 2015. He amassed 67 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble from his defensive end position. [11] In 2016, he recorded 49 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble. [12]

Gholston with the Buccaneers in 2021 William Gholston (51684900052) (cropped).jpg
Gholston with the Buccaneers in 2021

On March 6, 2017, Gholston signed a five-year contract extension with the Buccaneers. [13] [14]

Gholston was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 4, 2020, [15] and activated three days later. [16] Gholston played in all four games in the Buccaneers' playoff run that resulted in the team winning Super Bowl LV. [17] [18]

On March 24, 2022, Gholston re-signed with the Buccaneers. [19] He played in 17 games with nine starts, recording 49 tackles. [20]

Gholston re-signed with the Buccaneers on July 25, 2023. [21]

NFL career statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2013 TAM 1223014162.03000030000
2014 TAM 1594228142.09000030000
2015 TAM 16116747203.08000022000
2016 TAM 14144937123.09000001100
2017 TAM 14103621150.04000000000
2018 TAM 16210731.01000000000
2019 TAM 1683826121.05000020000
2020 TAM 16124424203.08000020110
2021 TAM 17103621154.57000000000
2022 TAM 1794924250.04000000100
2023 TAM 161191090.00100020000
Career 1698842025916119.5581000143310

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2020 TAM 402110.00000000000
2021 TAM 212200.01000000000
2022 TAM 112200.00000000000
2023 TAM 212110.00000000000
938620.01000000000

Personal life

He is a cousin of former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Vernon Gholston. [22]

Just prior to the start of the 2021 NFL season, Gholston started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Professor Cassio Cardosi and has used the martial art to help prepare for the season. [23]

References

  1. "William Gholston, DE, Michigan State, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  2. Lesmerises, Doug (September 28, 2012). "Ohio State's Johnathan Hankins to see former high school teammate, Michigan State's William Gholston, when Buckeyes play Spartans on Saturday". cleveland.com. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  3. "William Gholston – Yahoo! Sports". Rivals.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  4. "William Gholston College Stats". Sports Reference . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  5. "William Gholston Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  6. "William Gholston, Michigan State, DE, 2013 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  7. Mulholland, Mike (January 3, 2013). "Report: William Gholston becomes third Michigan State player to declare for NFL draft". MLive.com. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  8. "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  9. "William Gholston 2013 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  10. "William Gholston 2014 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  11. "William Gholston 2015 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  12. "William Gholston 2016 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  13. Smith, Scott (March 6, 2017). "Will Gholston Gets Five-Year Deal". Buccaneers.com.
  14. Patra, Kevin (March 6, 2017). "William Gholston agrees to five-year Bucs extension". NFL.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  15. Smith, Scott (November 4, 2020). "Buccaneers Place DL Will Gholston on Reserve/COVID-19 List". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  16. Easterling, Luke (November 7, 2020). "Bucs activate DL William Gholston from Reserve/COVID-19 list". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  17. Patra, Kevin (February 7, 2017). "What we learned from Buccaneers win over Chiefs in Super Bowl LV". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  18. "Super Bowl LV – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs – February 7th, 2021". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  19. Smith, Scott (March 24, 2022). "Will Gholston Signs On for 10th Season in Tampa". Buccaneers.com.
  20. "William Gholston 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference . Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  21. Smith, Scott (July 25, 2023). "Will Gholston Returns for 11th Season with Bucs". Buccaneers.com.
  22. "William Gholston Bio – Michigan State Official Athletic Site". Msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  23. Burne, Kathrine (December 4, 2021). "NFL Lineman Will Gholston Says BJJ Is 'Harder Than Football Practice'". Jitsmagazine.com. Retrieved July 6, 2024.