During his fall camp intro press conference, Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel got ahead of things and quickly addressed the status of Boo Carter with the program. There was speculation that the two-way stud was going to be kicked off the team, but that's not going to happen.
Heupel made it clear that Carter is still going to be a Vol in 2025, which served as a major relief for plenty of UT supporters out there. At the same time, Carter isn't out of the woods just yet. Heupel said that he's still got work to do to get back on the field, which was a necessary comment from the Vols leader.
Josh Heupel’s full opening statement on Boo Carter, who is still a member of Tennessee’s football team pic.twitter.com/uI1RoO3Myf
— zach ragan (@zachTNT) July 29, 2025
Josh Heupel made it clear Boo Carter has to earn his way back onto the field for Tennessee
"Boo is part of our team here," Heupel told the media on Tuesday. "There are some things that he's got to accomplish to get back on the field with us. Don't have a set timeline on that. Our leadership council has been part of those things, those discussions with me and with Boo. Proud of what they've done. They care and love Boo and want him to be his best too. I think through this Boo sees that as well."
The main takeaway there? It's that Carter indeed is back with the team, but he no question disappointed players and staff members with how he has acted at times this summer. Per multiple reports, Carter skipped multiple team workouts, which infuriated veteran leaders.
He was called out for putting himself first ahead of the team, which led to an altercation earlier this month. Carter then reportedly left Knoxville and it was up in the air if he was going to play with the team this campaign or not, which was worrisome.
Thankfully, Heupel addressed things quickly ahead of camp, but he also sent a message to Carter and everyone else inside of the locker room. If you want to put yourself first ahead of the T on the jersey, then Knoxville isn't going to be the place for you. Heupel will now challenge Carter to earn back the respect he may have lost from some of his teammates. Until he does so, he won't be on the field. It's as simple as that.