Report: Boo Carter will not be dismissed from Tennessee program despite speculation on future

Earlier this month, Knox News’ Adam Sparks reported that Tennessee defensive back Boo Carter missed multiple team activities and was confronted by team leaders. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Chris Low provided further details on Carter’s future with the program.

“Lotta speculation about the future of Tennessee DB Boo Carter the last two weeks after he missed multiple workouts, but sources tell ESPN that Carter is not being dismissed from the team,” Low wrote on X. “Coach Josh Heupel will address the situation at his press conference later Tuesday.”

On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed Low’s report. Boo Carter had an impressive debut campaign last season, recording 38 tackles, a sack and an interception. For his efforts, he was named an All-SEC Freshman.

After the season, there were rumors that Carter was planning on entering the transfer portal, but the Tennessee native ultimately opted to return to Knoxville for his sophomore season. In his announcement, he mentioned The Volunteer Club — the Tennessee-focused NIL collective — to indicate he’d signed a new NIL deal.

Carter played high school football at Bradley Central (TN), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 111 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

Evidently, experts don’t expect Carter to lose any steam in the 2025 campaign despite some of the offseason drama surrounding him. Carter was named a preseason All-SEC Third-Team selection by the league’s media.

Carter’s absence this summer isn’t the only personnel issue Tennessee has dealt with this offseason. In April, quarterback Nico Iamaleava entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after he and Tennessee couldn’t agree on a new NIL deal. At SEC Media Days, Josh Heupel discussed the importance of being able to remain focused in the face of these issues.

“At the end of the day, it’s never about who’s not in your building,” Heupel said. “It’s about who is in your building. For us, you can lose a quarterback at a lot of different times. December transfer portal, spring transfer portal. You can lose one Week 1, first quarter of a ball game, in your open, and now you’re on to number two through injury.

“You’ve got to have a next guy up mentality. At the end of the day, having the right guys that want to be there, want to compete with their brothers that are inside of that locker room, building that connection, but also having the right guys in there.”