Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel spoke to the local media on Tuesday ahead of Fall Camp kicking off on Wednesday. Several questions were geared towards Tennessee's leadership and the return of Boo Carter, who is expected to begin practicing with the team on Wednesday for Fall Camp.
Heupel shared that Carter will be back with the team, but he has some work to do to return to his previous level of performance before his departure.
"Boo is part of our team here," Heupel said 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."
Heupel also addressed Carter's position with the team, confirming that he will return to the team and has a lot of work to do to regain the good graces of the player-led leadership council.
"Boo [Carter] is a part of our team here," Heupel said, addressing Carter's status with the team. "There's some things he needs to accomplish to get back on the field with us. Our leadership council has been a part of those discussions with me and with Boo."
Carter is expected to play a larger role on the offensive side of the ball, playing as a safety on defense and wide receiver on offense. That could change, based on Heupel's comments about where Boo will fit in on the offense.
"We're going to take it slow here in the beginning and figure out where we're at as we get deeper into camp," Heupel shared about Carter's role on offense.
Based on those comments, there is a possibility that Carter will take a limited role on offense or stick to defense and special teams this season.
It seems that Carter has now repaired the damage created during his time away from the team. There are still some concerns from Heupel about where Carter could fit in this season, at least on the offensive side of the ball, but the Vols coaching staff and leadership council have welcomed Boo back to the team ahead of Fall Camp.