Omari Thomas: Tennessee freshman Boo Carter is 'going to make a bunch of plays'
Cooper Mays isn’t ready to predict all the ways Josh Heupel and his Tennessee Football coaching staff will use freshman Boo Carter. All Mays knows is how well the freshman athlete can move.
“(He’s) a special player, really athletic,” Mays said Tuesday in Dallas during Tennessee’s run through SEC Media Days. “… Super athletic kid. Cool kid too. Really easy to get along with, fits right in. I’m not sure how we’ll use him, but you’ve got to find ways to use somebody like that.”
Carter committed to Tennessee out of Bradley Central High School in Chattanooga, where he was a four-star athlete who was ranked No. 111 overall in the 2024 recruiting class. He was the No. 3 athlete in the country and the No. 3 overall prospect in the state of Tennessee.
He’s listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds on Tennessee’s roster and spent his first spring with the Vols at defensive back after enrolling early in January. He could make an immediate impact on special teams, too, as a returner.
Vols will have new-look secondary, returners this season
Mays is far from the only one to take notice of Carter’s athletic ability.
“(It’s) just the way he moves,” Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili said. “He moves really well and makes some plays. His frame, you can tell by how he carries himself he loves football, and you can tell he cares … the sky’s the limit for him as he goes on throughout his career.”
Carter should have plenty of opportunities in fall camp, with Tennessee replacing much of its personnel in the secondary from last season.
The Vols are also forced to replace kick returner and punt returner Dee Williams, who returned two punts for touchdowns over the last two seasons, averaging 15.4 yards per punt return and 21.1 yards per kick return.
Boo Carter was No. 3 athlete in 2024 recruiting class
Whatever Carter’s role ends up being, it sounds like he’s off to a good start.
“I feel like Boo has come in with a mindset as a young guy wanting to learn,” Tennessee fifth-year senior defensive tackle Omari Thomas said, “wanting to be great, wanting to actually be on that field this year, his freshman year.
“And you see that in a guy who’s putting in the extra work, looking up to older guys and is always hanging out with older guys just trying to learn the way fast so he’s able to be on the field and help us.
“He’s a great athlete,” Thomas added. “He’s going to make a bunch of plays for us, so it’s great to see a guy like Boo doing that.”
