Tennessee's Boo Carter to face consequences if he remains with Vols, camp privileges to be revoked

The Tennessee Volunteers are opening up fall camp on Wednesday, which is a very exciting time for the football team and fans around the country. However, there is a cloud over Knoxville regarding if he will still be on the team once Heupel addresses the media on Tuesday. This is all after a series of missed team activities.

Tennessee sophomore defensive back Boo Carter is expected to be one of the Volunteers' best players in 2025—on defense, offense, and special teams. But as August approaches, his status with the team remains unclear. Carter has reportedly missed “numerous” team activities and was even confronted by team leaders about his absences, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel, CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani reported.

Carter’s behavior in recent weeks has raised eyebrows. His former agent revealed he wasn’t even informed that Carter had moved on from their agreement.

“I did represent Boo. However, I'm not sure I still do,” Isaac Conner wrote in a text message to CBS Sports. “He has been non-responsive and so has his mother. They posted something about Omar Cooper representing him and advising him now.”

At this point, it appears to be a coin flip whether Carter will remain with the Vols. Whether Carter returns or not, it’s clear there will be consequences if he does.

“If he reports to that meeting tonight (UT is supposed to have a pre-fall camp team meeting on Monday evening), he's going to be in a different reality, I can tell you that," said Vols insider Tony Basilio. "I'm hearing they're going to make this kid earn his way back onto that team, if that's what he wants to do. In other words, he's going to lose some privileges here on the front end (of fall camp)."

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The Tennessee coaching staff is taking the right approach. Carter hasn’t upheld his responsibilities as a teammate, and they’re making it clear that returning to the program means re-earning trust. Head coach Josh Heupel isn’t afraid to make tough decisions—allowing a former five-star quarterback to walk after skipping a spring practice is proof of that. Carter has the talent to be great for the Vols, but if he’s not fully bought into the Power T culture, the staff is right not to force him into the picture.