“Ira, should I try this coaching thing?”

Boy, Bucs defensive lineman Will Gholston sure sounds like he wants to coach.

Gholston was one of the few Bucs hovering around the Super Bowl Media Center at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas last week when Joe was there. Joe was stalking Baker Mayfield so Joe missed a chance to talk to Gholston.

Gholston bounced through Radio Row and one of his stops was the CBS Radio set where Doug Gottlieb broadcast his show. There, Gholston described what the 2023 was like for him.

It sounded as if Gholston was a part-time coach.

“My role changed,” Gholston said. “I went from a starter to being a backup. But we have a lot of young guys and they were rolling and I got a chance to watch it.”

Gottlieb, a former hoopster who once led the nation in assists for Oklahoma State, had a really good follow-up question asking Gholston how he handled it emotionally going from a starter on a playoff team and Super Bowl winner to being a backup.

Gholston’s response sure sounded to Joe like coaching is in his future.

“For me, being the man I am, it is amazing to be able to see somebody go from practice and translate that to the game and know that you had somewhat an effect on it,” Gholston said.

“I don’t know what there is about it, but seeing the young guys that came in, I saw them when they weren’t the best when they were rookies. And then to see them transform into real NFL players, it’s crazy.”

Doesn’t that sound like someone a future coach?

Gottlieb then asked Gholston how he was able to go from a sidelines mentor to being a warrior when stepping on the field.

“Oh, when I get the opportunity, the switch is flipped,” Gholston said.

Helping rookies get past the rookie wall was key, said Gholston, who believes how a player handles that hurdle — and it is real, he said — is when you can tell a player has transformed from a rookie to a pro.

This, for Joe, is the Ndamukong Suh Effect. When the Bucs first signed Suh in 2019, in the immediate days afterward, Joe saw Suh always talking one-on-one with Gholston. Joe could see Suh demonstrating various things to Gholston as Bucs defensive linemen took turns blasting a blocking sled.

That’s when Gholston began to blow up as a quality NFL starter.

Now Gholston is using those Suh teachings with young Bucs, it seems,

Joe knows Gholston really likes Tampa and has no idea whether he wants the transient lifestyle of a coach. Given Gholston’s chaotic childhood, Joe just has a hunch Gholston wants to stay put.

If so, perhaps being a high school coach or counselor would be a good move? With his experiences both personally and professionally, Gholston would be one hell of an asset for the community working with high school kids.