Tennessee Vols true freshman defensive back Boo Carter has received plenty of praise so far this spring. 

Carter, a former four-star recruit, was praised by Vols secondary coach Willie Martinez earlier this month for his explosiveness and they way he shows up in "any kind of drill". 

"Boo is explosive," said Martinez. "Boo, you put him in any kind of drill and he’s going to show up. He’s so athletic. He’s quick. He’s got great instincts."

On Thursday, Tennessee outside linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler continued the effervescent praise for Carter. 

Ekeler was asked by a reporter about Carter being an option to return kicks/punts for Tennessee this fall. 

And Ekeler made it clear that it doesn't matter if a player is a true freshman or not — if they're ready then they'll play. 

"I’ve been other places and in this conference, too, where we had a true freshman back there and he was an All-American," explained Ekeler. "So I don’t bat an eye and if they’re ready, they’re ready. And Boo Carter, I’m not saying he’s the guy, but he’s in that competition. And Boo Carter, he don’t care if he’s in front of 102,000, he don’t care if he’s in front of five people, he’s Boo and he’s so locked in and focused on what he does. He’s just a great football player. Regardless if he’s our returner this year, he can play a ton of ball around here. Absolutely love that guy. He’s just a great football player."

Ekeler's comment about Carter playing the same way in front of five people that he does in front of 102,000 people reminds me of a comment that Alex Rodriguez once made about Derek Jeter when the two players were teammates with the New York Yankees. 

Rodriguez pointed out in 2010, ahead of the Yankees' ALCS showdown with the Texas Rangers, that Jeter treats spring training games the same way he treats Game 7 of the World Series. 

"The greatest thing about Jeter is he treats Game 7 of the World Series the same way as the first game of spring training, literally," said Rodriguez. "I've never seen a player quite like that."

When you treat every rep like it's a championship game, then when you're in a championship moment, the situation won't be any different than it would be at a Tuesday practice. 

Carter is clearly taking the Jeter approach during spring practice and it should pay off in a big way on Saturdays in the fall. 

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