4-star ATH Boo Carter commits to Tennessee: 'I know I can be the next big thing'

Chattanooga (Tenn.) Bradley Central four-star athlete Boo Carter considered schools from coast to coast. Michigan, Colorado, Tennessee, Oregon and Ohio State made his top five. The Wolverines hosted him for an official visit earlier this month, and he said Ann Arbor was like a second home.

But getting outside of Tennessee made him realize something: he wanted to stay home. On Saturday night, he committed to the in-state Vols from Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in New York City, surrounded by family and friends.

“This whole June has been a hard journey for me because there’s a lot of coaches — even schools not in my top five — trying to get at me,” he told On3. “I was just ready to get it over with, and I knew Tennessee was going to be a great place for me to play. I know how they develop players, and I know I can be the next big thing to come out of there. So I feel like I just need to stay home.”

Josh Heupel made him a top priority

When head coach Josh Heupel took over in January 2021, he saw the 2023 and 2024 classes as places the Vols could really make a mark in their own state. Carter has long been one of top prospects inside the borders, and Tennessee made him feel like that.

“They came really hard since I was the No. 1 player in the state,” he said. “They understood that they couldn’t let me go anywhere besides the University of Tennessee. When I had the meeting with them, they told me they were going to use me on both sides of the field. I’m going to be on defense more, but they’ll use me for both.”

Heupel was personally involved in his recruitment, along with assistants Tim Banks, Kelsey Pope, Willie Martinez. The group approach paid off, and Carter has the chance to be a dual-threat for the Vols.

“He played a great role in this — him, Coach Martinez, Coach Banks and Coach Pope,” he said of Heupel. “Coach Heupel wants me to play offense, but since I got an offer as a DB first, he said I’ll play DB but I can learn the plays to get to offense. He keeps it real, he’s a good coach, and I like how he treats the players. I know I could fit in at that program.”

Staying home means a lot to Boo Carter

After playing last year at Chattanooga Brainerd, Carter will play his senior season at nearby Bradley Central. He loves the state of Tennessee, and getting a chance to play in front of its flagship university with 100,000 fans watching was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

“It feels great. I feel like it was a hard decision because if I left I would’ve let a lot of people down. From my city, it’s an hour and a half away from Knoxville,” he said. “So people want to come see me play. Getting a flight to Colorado or Michigan, that would be hard.

… The fan base up there at Tennessee is amazing. They love me up there, and I felt great when I went up there. Every game I go to, the fans see me and take pictures with me, they scream my name. It feels like home.”