Josh Heupel explains Boo Carter’s absence from Tennessee’s win against New Mexico State

Tennessee was without defensive back and punt returner Boo Carter in Saturday’s 42-9 win against New Mexico State, and the sophomore was not present at Neyland Stadium for the Homecoming game. Vols head coach Josh Heupel suggested after the game that Carter had fallen short of the standards needed to be with the team for the game, but stopped short of providing an update on Carter’s long-term status with the program. Carter has played in every game this season, but did not play any snaps in the loss to Oklahoma two weeks ago.

“At the end of the day, there’s a standard you’ve got to meet to be in that locker room,” Heupel said after Tennessee improved to 7-3 on the season. “He was not out on the field with us.”

He added: “That will be my last response to anything related to that for right now.”

Carter made a big impact as a freshman for his home-state program, but it’s been a different story this season, dating back to July when his teammates and the team’s leadership took issue with him not handling his business during offseason workouts. It appeared at one point like Carter’s time at Tennessee was done. But the situation was worked out and Carter had to work his way back in the good graces of the program throughout preseason camp.

He spent the first few preseason practices working to the side before increasing his involvement while also having to walk the straight and narrow path away from the field. Carter only started getting work in teams periods late in camp. Tennessee prepared fifth-year senior Jalen McMurray to take over at the Star position, where he has been the top choice all season.

Carter’s punishment for his offseason missteps did not extend into the season. He played 27 defensive snaps and had one tackle in the opener against Syracuse and totaled 94 yards on four punt returns against East Tennessee State, adding three tackles against the Bucs. Carter had four tackles and a half-tackle for loss in the loss to Georgia, then had a big performance (nine tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and two forced fumbles on defense and a 34-yard punt return) against UAB.

Through the first eight games of the season, Carter played 239 defensive snaps, but after giving up a touchdown pass against Kentucky and not showing great effort to finish the play, he got zero snaps on defense in the loss to Oklahoma, and he also didn’t take advantage on some punts that could have been returned, finishing with 8 yards on two returns, one of which was muffed.

“We had a couple of opportunities, didn’t take advantage, didn’t maximize,” Heupel said of the punt returns during Tennessee’s open date.

Freshman running back Daune Morris handled punt-return duties in the win against the Aggies.

“He’s just been really consistent here,” Heupel said. “We had him in there early in the year, Game 1, got some opportunities. As a young player, just understanding how the game gets played and the nuances of it – he’s just continued to grow in his ability to communicate and understand when he’s got space, so we’ve been continuing to grow him in that role.”

In nine games this season, Carter has 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three forced fumbles and three pass breakups.

A Top247 prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, Carter was an SEC All-Freshman Team selection as a defensive back and return specialist last season after making a big impact on defense and special teams to help the Vols reach the College Football Playoff. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder played in all 13 games and started five at the Star position, where he totaled 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. Carter showed his dynamic athletic ability in his punt-return role, averaging 16.5 yards per return (198 yards on 12 returns) with six returns of 20+ yards and two of 30+ yards.

Carter was the Tennessee Class 6A Mr. Football Award winner as a senior at Bradley Central High School in 2023, when he totaled 1,795 all-purpose yards and 27 total touchdowns. He caught 55 passes for 911 yards and 12 scores on offense, had 102 tackles and two interceptions on defense and had two return touchdowns on special teams. Carter played his junior football season at Chattanooga Christian and spent part of his prep career at Brainerd High School in Chattanooga.

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