Tennessee defensive back and punt returner Boo Carter is no longer part of the Volunteers football program, a team official told ESPN on Sunday, bringing an abrupt end to his brief and rocky tenure in Knoxville.
A source close to the situation said Carter failed to show up at Neyland Stadium for No. 23 Tennessee’s 42–9 win over New Mexico State on Saturday. According to the source, the coaching staff had already notified Carter that he would not be playing due to disciplinary matters. However, he was still expected to be present on the sideline for the homecoming matchup — a directive he did not follow.
When asked about Boo Carter’s status after Saturday’s game, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said, “At the end of the day, there’s a standard you have to uphold to be in that locker room, so he was not out on the field with us. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter for now.”
Carter, a former ESPN 300 prospect from the 2024 class, recorded 25 tackles, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups, and a sack across eight games as a reserve nickelback this season. He also averaged 13.2 yards on 11 punt returns.
He did not play any defensive snaps in Tennessee’s 33–27 loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 1 due to a coaching decision.
Not long after Tennessee confirmed Sunday that he was no longer part of the team, Carter posted on social media that he would miss the rest of the season because of an injury and intends to enter the transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
“I want to thank the University of Tennessee coaches, administrators, and fans for an amazing two years,” Carter wrote. “Unfortunately, my season has ended due to injury. I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal and look forward to what comes next.”
Carter’s standing with Tennessee had already been uncertain heading into preseason camp after reports that he skipped summer workouts. Coach Josh Heupel and the team’s leadership council ultimately chose to keep him on the roster, but only under specific conditions he needed to meet before being cleared to play.
“Boo is still part of our team,” Heupel said on July 29. “There are things he has to take care of before he can get back on the field. There’s no firm timeline, and our leadership council has been involved in those conversations with me and with Boo.”
A Chattanooga native, Carter earned SEC All-Freshman honors in 2024, starting five games. He ranked sixth on the team with 38 tackles and led the conference with a 16.5-yard average on 12 punt returns.
The Volunteers (7–3, 3–3 SEC) finish their regular season with a road game at Florida on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) followed by a home matchup against No. 14 Vanderbilt on Nov. 29.
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