TAMPA, Fla. -- New Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Stevie Tu’ikolovatu found a way to make an adventure out of some pretty difficult circumstances when he had no place to live for two months before his final season in college.

When the seventh-round draft pick left Utah for his final year of eligibility at USC last season, he and his wife Kalo were forced to live out of their 2004 Chevrolet Suburban. NCAA rules prohibit schools from providing benefits to players who are "blue-shirting" until they've officially enrolled, and there was a delay transferring his paperwork.

Bucs rookie Stevie Tu'ikolovatu and his wife, Kalo, lived out of their 2004 Chevy Suburban for about two months after he transferred from Utah to USC last fall. Courtesy Kalo Tu'ikolovatu

"It wasn’t as bad as it sounds," said Tu'ikolovatu, 25. "We were basically just touring all of Southern California, and it was probably the [most fun] time that we’ve had since we’ve been here. It contributed to the success that we had."

The couple bought meat at the Dollar Tree and grilled hot dogs while watching the sunset at Manhattan Beach. In downtown Los Angeles, they visited Skid Row. They didn't want to be a burden on anyone.

“He picked up a security job while we stayed out in our car, just a side job,” Kalo said. “He also did yard work with some friends for money. … I spent my days at the LDS Employment Center, but later did side jobs passing out flyers for church events."

"You’ve obviously got to love the game to do that," said Bucs general manager Jason Licht, who brought in the 6-foot-1, 331-pound run-stuffer to be a force on first and second downs. "He’s one of my favorite stories in this year’s draft."

The couple traveled from one adventure to the next. It meant showering at the beach and sitting atop parking garages, waiting for the sun to rise. They got workouts in wherever they could, however they could.

"We went on a lot of adventures and saw all of the different types of beaches," Tu'ikolovatu said. "We found some different hikes that we went on and just different cities that we’ve never been to. We just wanted to check out every tourist attraction here in L.A. So that was fun.”

Kalo's favorite place to visit was Imperial Beach in San Diego, California, while Stevie's was Tijuana, Mexico.

"It was our first time in Mexico," Tu'ikolovatu said. "We were able to see how it was over there. It was both of our first times.”

Photos sent to me by Stevie and Kalo Tu'ikolovatu from their adventures living out of a Chevy Suburban. Manhattan Beach and Tijuana. pic.twitter.com/F4JlwGJ6H0 — JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) May 5, 2017

The two-month experience was eye-opening, even for Tu'ikolovatu, who spent two years in the Philippines on a Mormon mission trip. And it was a true lesson in gratitude.

"We often drove around the homeless," Kalo said. As many as 2,000 of Los Angeles' homeless residents line the sidewalks of Skid Row to sleep in tents every night. It's the nation's largest population of homeless people who live and sleep on public sidewalks.

"I [didn't] consider us homeless," Kalo said. "But it reminded us to be grateful because someone always has it worse."