“Just diving into Tennessee, this program, it was really easy for me to say I’d love to come back,” said Pili. “Who wouldn’t want to be here for another year? I think that had to do with a big part of me wanting to come back rather than leaving. I say it all the time, but I love the coaches here, love the coaching staff, love the culture that was brought here, and love my teammates. And I think that’s a big part of why I love being here [and] why I would want come back another year as well.”

Pili credited Tennessee’s coaches for the culture that’s been built at UT over the last couple of years.

“I’ll just credit that to the coaches and what they built from the beginning,” said Pili. “Obviously I wasn’t here when they first came, but for the players that I’ve talked to since then, there’s been a big switch in culture. I think that’s kind of why when I was on my visit, I couldn’t help but be like, oh yeah, I could play here, I could be here. And that’s why I wanted to commit there.”

It’s clear that Tennessee has a special culture right now that players love being a part of. Pili is married and he’ll be 26 when the Vols take the field next fall. He could play in the NFL next season. But instead, he’s choosing to return to Tennessee for his final season of eligibility. Pili’s decision shows that the talk about Tennessee’s culture isn’t just lip service, it’s reality. And that should be enticing to transfer players who might be considering Tennessee.

Pili also revealed on Monday that he suffered the season-ending injury in the first quarter of the Virginia game, but he still managed to play into the second half.