We are less than a week away until fall camp starts for the Tennessee football team, but it's now feeling increasingly less likely that Boo Carter is going to take the field. Throughout the week, rumors and reports have been flying about him being on the outs with his teammates.
This was confirmed by 247Sports/CBS Sports national college football writer Chris Hummer. Per his sources, Carter missed some team workouts and he was called out by leadership. This eventually led to an 'altercation' on July 16 and Carter has been away from the program since things went down.
Head man Josh Heupel is expected to address what happened in the coming days, but things sure aren't looking good here in terms of Carter playing with Tennessee once Week 1 gets here. On top of that, Hummer is reporting that Colorado is expected to make a move for Carter if he does end up leaving Knoxville. That news shouldn't surprise anyone:
A bit more on the Boo Carter and Tennessee situation with @RJ_cfb and @JTalty. On an agent switch, a lot of uncertainty and what's caused all the tension.
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) July 25, 2025
Important to note this is not a NIL dispute, per a source:
"This is not a Nico situation." https://t.co/N8uGDT8n0d
Deion Sanders could look to sign Boo Carter if the star DB leave Tennessee
"Should the situation end up with Carter not returning to Tennessee, Colorado would be a school to watch as a potential destination, sources told CBS Sports," Hummer wrote in his piece. "The Buffaloes were a factor in his high school recruitment and would likely afford him the opportunity to play on both sides of the ball, which he did in high school and sparingly in spring practice for the Vols. Carter also returned punts for the Vols as a freshman."
During the offseason, reports indicated that Carter was thinking about potentially leaving the Vols for Colorado when the portal was open. He decided to return to Knoxville, however, and all signs were pointing to him being a playmaker on both sides of the ball for Heupel.
Instead, nothing but drama has been surrounding Carter's name of late and no one knows if he'll be taking the field in a UT jersey in late August against Syracuse. Should Carter leave, it'd be a massive blow for Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks.
Despite that, Heupel can't risk losing his locker room like this. If Carter indeed skipped team workouts and the team council has voiced their displeasure with his attitude, then the call to let him walk might end up being an easy one for the staff. If that does happen, Deion Sanders will likely work quickly to get Carter to Boulder. What a mess.