Vols transfer player makes statement about Tennessee that every recruit needs to hear

When tight end McCallan Castles left UC-Davis to join the Tennessee Vols as a graduate transfer, he joined a program that had its sights set on winning in the SEC East in 2023. 

Unfortunately for the Vols, winning the SEC East wasn't in the cards for Tennessee this season. Losing a significant amount of talent to the NFL, combined with an inordinate amount of injuries, was too much for UT to overcome in Josh Heupel's third season. 

But despite falling short of their goal, Castles has no regrets about his decision to transfer to Tennessee. 

In fact, it's quite the opposite. 

After Tennessee's win against Vanderbilt on Saturday, Castles, who started his college career at California, was asked about his takeaways from his one season in Knoxville. 

And Castles left no doubt how he feels about Tennessee. 

“Obviously I wasn’t here for the whole time," said Castles. "I came here for the football, but I’ll always remember the people. It’s been the best college football experience I’ve ever been a part of. This (Jacob Warren) is my best friend right here, spending every day with him just grinding. I never felt like I belong more in a college football space than here and I’ve made multiple stops. So, I think it just speaks to the culture these guys have built here with Heupel. It’s a great place. Tennessee is where you want to be to play football.”