Vol Club Confidential: McCallan Castles

One of the more under the radar transfers this off-season was UC-Davis tight end transfer McCallan Castles. He joined Vol Club Confidential this week to talk about his transition to Rocky Top.

“I had a couple of other offers from the SEC but I wanted to go somewhere I was going to win,” Castles said. “A place with a high powered offense because I had been stuck in a blocking role at Davis so I wanted to go somewhere I could show off my athleticism in the pass game. Tennessee was a no brainer with how they used Princeton (Fant) last year is a good inspiration on why I wanted to come here.”

Castles was on some draft board after last season but he chose to add to his resume for the 2024 draft.

“It came down to I got injured in our last game and I didn’t want to half do the training for the draft,” Castles said. “My dad was like maybe you should stay another year and go to a bigger school and show people that you can play against a higher level. I wanted to go somewhere I could win and play the best level but it’s also a money decision. If I go and play well then you are only improving how people view you at the next level.”

Castles has added 20 pounds since he arrived in January and it’s helped him immensely. When he sees his family they pick up on his growth.

“My older brother saw me and said he needs to start working out again,” Castles said with a laugh. “He has been out of football for a little bit. My dad loves it and my mom says I’m going to have to get a new closet which I’ve basically had to do.

“The high calorie shakes are definitely a big help after every workout and the nutrition and Smokey’s Dining Hall is some of the best food I’ve had ever so it’s super easy to eat and put on weight.”

Castles has had a nice start to Vol career

Castles has had a couple of nice catches through two games with one being a screen for a touchdown last week. He feels very comfortable in his new surroundings.

“It’s a testament to coach David Weeks, our assistant tight ends coach,” Castles said. “He put so much time with me during the spring and the summer when I was getting in formations and working on the tempo. It’s come a lot more natural as I’ve gotten into it longer.”

All that work culminated with the start to the season where Tennessee packed out Nissan Stadium. Of the 68 thousand in attendance, around 65 thousand were clad in Tennessee orange.

“That’s the most people I’ve played in front of so I was trying to not throw up most of the day,” Castles said. “I was a little nervous I’m not going to lie. After the first drive I breathed into it and it’s still crazy. They stayed until the end and shows what the fans are like here. It’s a completely different experience to west coast football fans.”