It was all there on the table for Boo Carter to be a stud for Tennessee and leave his mark on the Vols for the long haul. However, rumors kept swirling he wasn't happy in Knoxville, and the offseason drama last summer was rough to see. Despite being away from the team for a little while and skipping workouts, Josh Heupel gave him one final chance to turn things around.
Last November, things reached a breaking point, with Carter being dismissed. Now, he's joining forces with Deion Sanders in Boulder, with Colorado hoping the standout defensive back can make a name for himself in 2026. Not only that, Sanders is expecting Carter to boost his NFL Draft stock as well.
In a recent interview, Sanders turned plenty of heads when he didn't hesitate in saying that he thinks Carter is going to be a first-round pick either in the 2027 or 2028 NFL Draft. While we love the confidence, come on, Coach Prime. Carter needs to get his mind right before we even think about him becoming an NFL playmaker, let alone a first-round selection:
Colorado coach Deion Sanders on DB Boo Carter: “That kid right there is gonna be a first-rounder, either this year or next year. Whichever one he chooses.”
— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) August 1, 2026
Sanders talked to @DukestheScoop about the changes Carter has tried to make since he transferred from Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/9mDNn9sWOv
Deion Sanders is setting Boo Carter up for failure after Tennessee breakup
"Let me tell you something man, that kid right there is going to be a first-rounder either this year or next year whichever one he chooses," Sanders said with conviction while on with Phillip Dukes. "I want to keep him, he knows that. I love him, I love him for life, and I love him for who he is and who he's trying to become."
Sanders didn't mince words at all there, crediting Carter for changing his mindset now that his ugly divorce with the Vols has been finalized. And yes, while we love a coach hyping up his player and putting all the confidence in the world in him, these expectations are not what Carter needs right now.
If anything, he needs to be reminded that he's going to have to battle hard to get back to a top level prospect wise, as things backfired for him in a big way while he was in the SEC. You think NFL scouts aren't going to pay attention to how things went down with him while under Heupel? Reports of issues with teammates and dividing the locker room a bit came in, while the missed workouts were a bad look for him too. Per Sanders, Carter has put all of that in the past.
"Boo's got it man," Sanders said. "Boo is probably the best athlete on the team. Boo has playmaking ability. If you add that with study and preparation, he's going to be hard to deal with, but he has to understand what that means. And the best thing ever, he came to me and said, 'Coach, I want you to watch film with me.' So, we sat in the office and we watched the whole practice, and I said, 'You see this? You see that? Look where they're lining up at, tell me what you're going to get.'"
That kind of extra work in studying film is something Heupel must be jealous of, but that's no longer something for him to worry about. Instead, Heupel and Tennessee are ready for Year 1 of Jim Knowles leading the defense, while 5-star quarterback Faizon Brandon is our pick to win the starting QB job. The focus for the Vols will be on the guys who are still in town. With Carter, no one is going to wish ill will towards him now that he's with Colorado and Sanders, but any talk of him being a first-round pick is beyond premature. No need to get him thinking about that right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google