Josh Heupel addresses Boo Carter situation, status with Tennessee football team

Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel finally addressed the situation involving star defensive back Boo Carter during Tuesday’s preseason press conference.

“Boo is a part of our team here,” Heupel said. “There’s some things he’s got to accomplish to get back on the field here. Don’t have a set timetable on that.

“Our leadership council has been apart of those things, those discussions, with me and with Boo. I’m proud of what they’ve done. They care and love Boo, and want him to be his best too. And through this thing, I think Boo sees that as well.”

Earlier this month, the Knoxville News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks reported Carter missed multiple team activities and was confronted by team leaders. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Chris Low provided further details on Carter’s future with the program.

“Lotta speculation about the future of Tennessee DB Boo Carter the last two weeks after he missed multiple workouts, but sources tell ESPN that Carter is not being dismissed from the team,” Low wrote on X/Twitter earlier Tuesday.

Carter’s status was described as “uncertain” earlier this month despite previously confirming his plans to return to Knoxville after a sensational true freshman season in which he recording 38 tackles, a sack and an interception while appearing in 13 games with five starts. Carter also contributed on special teams, averaging 16.5 yards per punt in 2024.

Carter’s absence this summer isn’t even the most notable personnel issue Heupel and Tennessee have dealt with this offseason. In April, returning starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after skipping the team’s final Spring practice amid a failed NIL renegotiation. At SEC Media Days, Heupel discussed the importance of being able to remain focused in the face of these issues.

“At the end of the day, it’s never about who’s not in your building,” Heupel said. “It’s about who is in your building. For us, you can lose a quarterback at a lot of different times. December transfer portal, spring transfer portal. You can lose one Week 1, first quarter of a ball game, in your open, and now you’re on to number two through injury.

“You’ve got to have a next guy up mentality. At the end of the day, having the right guys that want to be there, want to compete with their brothers that are inside of that locker room, building that connection, but also having the right guys in there.”

Carter played high school football at Bradley Central (TN), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 111 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

— On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.