Another season of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” debuted this month, with the Lions featured this time around, and that premiere marks the five-year anniversary of the Bucs starring on the show in 2017.

To look back on the Bucs’ brief brush with celebrity on that show is to realize how much the franchise has changed in five years. Of the 90 players who opened training camp with Tampa Bay this summer, only seven were with the team for “Hard Knocks” — Lavonte David, Will Gholston, Mike Evans, Donovan Smith, Ryan Griffin, Cameron Brate and Chris Godwin.

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When HBO came to Tampa, the Bucs were coming off a 9-7 season where they missed the playoffs by just a tiebreaker, and the hope surrounding Jameis Winston might have been at an all-time high. So many of the principal characters on the show would soon be gone, from Dirk Koetter and Gerald McCoy after the 2018 season to Winston, a year later.

For all the optimism the show helped foster, the Bucs went 5-11 in 2017. A year later, they’d repeat that record, a downturn that ultimately would set up the hiring of Bruce Arians in 2019 and the arrival of Tom Brady in 2020, leading the Bucs to an improbable Super Bowl championship.

With “Hard Knocks” starting with Lions last night, it’s been five years since the Bucs were featured on the show. What are your favorite memories? pic.twitter.com/QVXdoSvKtn

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 10, 2022

But now we have a chance to look back on the obscure characters made popular by HBO’s cameras, many of which have seen their football days come to an end, some more quickly than others.

Riley Bullough, linebacker

On “Hard Knocks”: The undrafted rookie’s long hair earned him the nickname “Joe Dirt,” and he stole the show’s first episode, setting up the drama of him trying to win a roster spot as a special teams star. Riley Bullough ended up one of the Bucs’ final cuts, but earned a spot on the practice squad. He would play in 12 games in 2017-18, totaling 16 tackles before getting cut in April 2019.

Remember @RileyBullough from HBO's #HardKnocks?

He's a Tennessee Titan now. #TitanUp ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/UfFLS5JfPR

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) May 1, 2019

Post-Bucs stops: Bullough was briefly with the Titans in the summer of 2019, but was waived that August and retired that December.

Where is he now? Bullough, 28, splits time between Tampa and his home state of Michigan, where he owns a property management company, working with short-term rentals. He’s also working with personal fitness training in Tampa out of a gym in Town ‘n’ Country. He remains close with several current Bucs players, but is settling into post-football life. “We were a really close team,” Bullough said of the 2017 Bucs. “I’ve transitioned pretty well. I’m loving it, and still absolutely love watching the game and am so excited for games to start. It’s a lot less stressful. Playing in the NFL is really stressful, but obviously really fun as well.”

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Roberto Aguayo, kicker

On “Hard Knocks”: Roberto Aguayo, who the Bucs famously traded up to draft in the second round in 2016, saw his brief Bucs tenure end on camera, as he was cut after one disappointing season in Tampa and two missed kicks in a 2017 preseason game. They turned to veteran Nick Folk, who himself missed three field goals in a Week 5 loss to the Patriots and went on injured reserve.

Post-Bucs stops: Aguayo would never kick in another NFL regular-season game after he was cut by the Bucs, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. He spent time with the Bears and Panthers in 2017, then the Chargers in 2018, then one final shot with the Patriots in 2020 before getting waived in the summer of 2021.

Video: Bucs QB Jameis Winston said he's offered words of support to former FSU teammate Roberto Aguayo, cut Sunday. "He knows I love him." pic.twitter.com/te8qsLUyMw

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 14, 2017

Where is he now? Aguayo is now listed as working in Palm Beach as banking analyst with J.P. Morgan, after working in Merrill Lynch’s Financial Advisor Development Program. Last year he launched the Roberto Aguayo Kicking Academy with his brother, Ricky, which has camps and private coaching for aspiring kickers.

Donteea Dye, receiver

On “Hard Knocks”: The colorful receiver, who caught a touchdown pass from Winston in 2015, had a memorable if random outtake, observing a rare solar eclipse at the team facility. “What’s the thing that comes every few years?” he asked, then excitedly remembering: “Cicadas!” Donteea Dye was among the Bucs’ final cuts before the 2017 season.

Post-Bucs stops: He played for the AAF’s Orlando Apollos and Steve Spurrier in 2019, catching seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns before the league folded. He was also briefly with the XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers in 2020.

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Where is he now? Dye is getting his first taste of coaching this fall, working as the receivers coach at Gibbs High in St. Petersburg, on the coaching staff of another former Bucs receiver, Louis Murphy.

Maurice Fleming, cornerback

On “Hard Knocks”: The undrafted rookie from West Virginia suffered a torn meniscus in his knee during a preseason game with the Jaguars but kept playing, getting a key pass breakup in the end zone late in a 12-8 win. Maurice Fleming got an injury settlement worth just over $100,000 and earned a spot on the practice squad later that season.

Post-Bucs stops: Fleming spent most of the 2018 season on injured reserve with the Bucs before he was released, played one game with the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders in 2019 and hasn’t played football since.

Save No Heartbeats. pic.twitter.com/0IsElGNYiu

— Maurice Fleming (@ReeseFlemingJr) August 10, 2022

Where is he now? Fleming is back in football this year, accepting a job in February at the University of Houston as assistant defensive backs coach, where defensive coordinator Doug Belk briefly overlapped with him as the cornerbacks coach at West Virginia.

Jeremy McNichols, running back

On “Hard Knocks”: Jeremy McNichols was highlighted early in the show, talking to “Coach Snoop” — he had Snoop Dogg as a youth football coach growing up in Long Beach, Calif., and he was shown talking to his old coach on the show. Alas, the fifth-round draft pick struggled to pick up the playbook and was cut by the Bucs, then spurned an offer to return on the practice squad by signing with the 49ers’ practice squad instead.

Post-Bucs stops: McNichols has been well-traveled since he was cut by the Bucs in 2017. He played briefly with the 49ers in 2017, then spent time in 2018 with the Colts, Broncos and Titans. He was with the Bears and Jaguars in 2019, and had fewer career yards (four) than teams (seven) after three seasons. He got to play quite a bit with the Titans in 2020-21, rushing for 360 yards and a touchdown.

FLIPPING UNBELIEVABLE! @JeremyMcNichols#NEvsTEN pic.twitter.com/ytAm23k7CK

— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2019

Where is he now? Still only 26, he was briefly with the Falcons this summer, then signed with the Steelers, who put him on injured reserve this month after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

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Bobo Wilson, receiver

On “Hard Knocks”: Bob Wilson, once a Florida State teammate of Winston, was among the Bucs’ final cuts but got an offer to return on the practice squad, though he nearly lost that by immediately driving to Miami rather than staying in town. “He’s got like five hours to get here,” Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek told general manager Jason Licht on the show.

Post-Bucs stops: Wilson did make it back for a spot on the practice squad and would catch a touchdown pass from Winston that season, one of eight catches over three seasons with the Bucs. He finished the 2019 season on the Panthers’ practice squad but wasn’t brought back for 2020.

Where is he now? Wilson, 27, is still trying to play pro football — he was in the draft pool for the USFL this spring but was not selected, and he’s hopeful of getting a shot when the XFL returns next spring. He’s back in Miami and keeping busy as a trainer, working with local kids and high school players to help them develop into potential recruits.

Brent Grimes, cornerback

On “Hard Knocks”: Brent Grimes, in the second of three seasons in Tampa, had a nasty leg injury where his shin got sliced by a cleat, and his wife Miko showed a grisly photo of the injury, which would sideline him in the preseason.

Post-Bucs stops: Grimes came back for one more season in 2018 but wasn’t the same at age 35 and had no interceptions after getting seven interceptions in 2016-17. There was talk of him playing pro basketball after he stopped playing football, but that never came about and he’s fully retired.

Where is he now? Grimes, 39, has stayed out of the spotlight since retiring. Miko remains active on social media and on podcasts, recently posting on Instagram that their son Aiden, is a “budding tennis pro” who “wants to go pro before he leaves” high school.

Jon Gruden, former coach

On “Hard Knocks”: Jon Gruden, out of coaching and an analyst on “Monday Night Football” in 2017, made a guest appearance at Bucs practice and even spoke to the team as he was announced as a new inductee to the team’s Ring of Honor.

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Post-Bucs stops: Gruden has come full circle in the last five years, getting back into coaching with the Raiders, going 22-31 in four seasons, then losing his job last fall after the discovery of offensive emails. That led to his removal from the Bucs’ Ring of Honor, a first.

Hard Knocks = circus. Hard Knocks + Jon Gruden at #Bucs practice = even more circus. pic.twitter.com/pYbEpW6k3H

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 2, 2017

Where is he now? Gruden isn’t coaching or broadcasting, but still has a home in Tampa. He’s kept a low profile since his firing, but was spotted on Warren Sapp’s Instagram in July, golfing with him in Avila.

Sefo Liufau, quarterback

On “Hard Knocks”: The undrafted rookie, in a quarterback room with Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick, talked about how his girlfriend’s family has four “rescue goats” from an animal relocation program back in his native Washington. “They’re really rich if they’re rescuing goats like dogs,” Winston told him.

Post-Bucs stops: Sefo Liufau, a cousin of former Tampa Bay quarterback Jack “The Throwin’ Samoan” Thompson, was among the Bucs’ final cuts and wasn’t brought back on the practice squad, announcing his retirement shortly after that season in January 2018, citing injuries.

Video: Rookie tight end Antony Auclair catches pass from Sefo Liufau. #bucs pic.twitter.com/U0OY1jF5Qd

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 22, 2017

Where is he now? Liufau, 27, went back to his alma mater of Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma last fall, joining the football staff as offensive coordinator. He’s listed as also working as a mortgage loan officer with First Home Bank.

Antony Auclair, tight end

On “Hard Knocks”: The undrafted rookie from Canada was one of the show’s feel-good stories, singing “O Canada” to his teammates and overcoming the odds to stick on the 53-man roster.

Post-Bucs stops: Antony Auclair caught 10 passes in three seasons with the Bucs, and was on injured reserve for the 2020 season when Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl.

1ST CAREER NFL TOUCHDOWN FOR 🇨🇦'S ANTONY AUCLAIR ‼️ @HoustonTexans | #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/6tgKkZonoI

— NFL Canada (@NFLCanada) October 10, 2021

Where is he now? Auclair signed with the Texans last season and started 13 games, catching five passes, including his first career touchdown pass. He has missed much of preseason with a knee injury but should be back with Houston this season.

(Photo of Riley Bullough: Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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