Of all the things that have gone wrong for Tennessee football this season, did anyone expect standout defensive back Boo Carter to have almost no impact on defense? It's not what anyone thought was coming, but Carter is in the middle of a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Tennessee and Josh Heupel are missing this former coach now more than ever
Could it end up being his last season in Knoxville playing under Josh Heupel? That's unknown at the time, but you've got to have a feeling that he's not too happy right now. In the loss to Oklahoma, Carter was spotted returning punts, but he was nowhere to be seen on defense.
That's because in a bit of a head-turning decision from Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks, Carter didn't hit the field on defense for a single snap in Week 10. A message most definitely was sent, but how is Carter going to respond to it?
Tennessee's Boo Carter didn't play a defensive snap vs. Oklahoma ⬇️https://t.co/wMdSLHcw5h
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 2, 2025
Boo Carter didn't play a single defensive snap for Tennessee against Oklahoma
This is pretty eye-opening for so many different reasons. Is Carter dealing with an injury that we're not aware of? If so, then it would definitely make sense that he wasn't making plays from his usual safety spot and he was only out there to return punts.
However, he hasn't shown up on the injury report and Heupel hasn't said anything regarding his status there. Instead, from the outside looking in, it appears that maybe the coaching staff has grown frustrated with his lack of effort at times and they're looking for ways to light a fire under him.
All in all, it's just a bummer all around. Last season, Carter looked fantastic as a true freshman for the Vols and he no question lived up to the hype put on him coming out of high school. He was ranked four stars and one of the top athletes in the nation.
Leading up to this season, Carter was expected to also make plays on offense and suit up at inside receiver, but that hasn't happened. Over the summer, rumors flew that he was going to leave the team and links to Colorado arrived.
He ended up staying in Knoxville, but his future with the program is as clear as mud. No one knows what's going to happen with Carter, but once the transfer portal opens up, it's safe to say that a lot of Vols fans will be wondering if he'll decide to enter it or not.