The Boo Carter era in Knoxville has officially come to an end for the Tennessee football team. In a new twist, it was announced over the weekend that the two sides had parted ways, with reports stating Carter will be entering the transfer portal on his own accord, while other reports stated he was dismissed from the program.
Boo Carter's season comes to an end after Tennessee parts ways
Carter released a statement after the news broke on Sunday, thanking Tennessee for the past two seasons. However, in a new interview with John Brice of Football Scoop, Carter has called out Josh Heupel and the Tennessee coaching staff. Carter, a former 4-star signee, said he didn't like Heupel saying Carter wasn't living up to the Tennessee standard, while he also said the Vols were trying to make him play hurt this fall.
Boo Carter claimed Josh Heupel and Tennessee tried to make him play hurt this season
"It was a great time at Tennessee, two years, but the season ended short for me. I’ll just say goodbye from that point on," Carter told Brice. "Like to me, I’m confused. I don’t really know what’s going on about (being) dismissed or the extra stuff he said in the media with me in the locker room or following the rules or standard.
"I’ve been doing everything I could. I told him I was hurt. He wanted me to play hurt throughout the whole season. I don’t know, how he’s putting it is making it sound like the stuff that happened in fall camp still (has an impact in November)."
While Carter didn't hesitate in saying he appreciated his time on campus, it's also quite eye-opening that he stated he informed Heupel and his staff that he was dealing with a hip flexor, yet the staff was trying to get him to fight through the injury. Obviously, this is not something Heupel is not going to like when he sees it.
It's unknown where Carter will be playing next, but what we do know is that his days suiting up for the Vols are over. Transfer rumors swirled last offseason, with Colorado mentioned as a potential destination. Carter ended up staying in town, but he never made any plays on offense like he was reportedly going to be doing in 2025 for UT.
Leading up to fall camp, Carter missed some workouts and an incident with teammates had his future with the team up in the air. Carter worked his way back and was with the rest of the guys for the start of the campaign, but when he was absent from the New Mexico State game, it felt like the writing was on the wall for him. After his breakout freshman season, it felt like Carter was going to have a long and incredible career at Tennessee. Now, said career has come to a close in disappointing fashion.