A former Tennessee football tight end is getting another chance in the NFL. McCallan Castles is listed as an expected participant at the New Orleans Saints’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player.
This will be the fifth NFL team that Castles has practiced with in his young career. After going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, he was a practice squad member for the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers. The following year, he was a practice squad member for the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers.
Castles spent one season at Tennessee during the 2023 campaign. During that year, he caught 22 passes for 293 yards and five touchdowns. The team finished 9-5 with a Citrus Bowl win over Iowa to cap off the season. Joe Milton III was the starting quarterback in each game until Nico Iamaleava took over for the bowl game.
2026 Saints rookie minicamp expected participants: pic.twitter.com/bi428zJQWU
— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) May 6, 2026
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Castles started his college career at Cal. He spent two years with the Golden Bears, playing three games as a freshman and then leaving the team two games into his second season and ultimately transferring.
His next stop was at UC Davis. There, he was named a First-Team All-Big Sky Conference member while catching 12 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns during the shortened 2020 season. The following pair of years, he was a Second-Team All-Big Sky Conference.
That standout trio of seasons led to him landing at Tennessee through the portal to use his final year of eligibility, granted to players who appeared in the 2020 Covid-shortened season.
Castles is now 26 years old and stands at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds. He is from South Lake Tahoe, California, where he starred for South Tahoe High School.
