The Tennessee coaching staff appeared to send a subtle but loud message to Vols defensive back Boo Carter
It’s been a strange year for Tennessee Vols defensive back Boo Carter.
One of the big stories for the Tennessee Vols entering the 2025 season was the status of sophomore defensive back Boo Carter.
Carter, a former four-star recruit from Chattanooga, missed numerous team activities during the offseason. As a result, his status with the program was uncertain until a few weeks before the start of the season.
Tennessee eventually decided to keep Carter on the team, but the defensive back hasn’t been nearly as consistent this season as he was as a true freshman in 2024.
Boo Carter’s role in Tennessee’s defense is rapidly diminishing
Carter saw his defensive snaps completely disappear in the Vols’ 33-27 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners this past weekend.
After playing at least 21 snaps in every game this season, Carter saw zero defensive snaps against Oklahoma.
Carter’s only action against the Sooners came on special teams. He fielded two punts, and he muffed one of them, though he recovered the football.
Here’s Carter’s defensive snap count in every game so far this season.
Syracuse: 27
ETSU: 24
Georgia: 28
UAB: 41
Mississippi State: 31
Arkansas: 35
Alabama: 32
Kentucky: 21
Oklahoma: 0
Carter’s sudden removal from the defensive game plan came a week after the sophomore appeared to pull up on a long completion by Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley that resulted in a Wildcats touchdown.
Many fans thought Carter could’ve caught the wide receiver on that play. I don’t know if Tennessee’s coaching staff felt the same way, but the fact that Carter went from playing at least 20 snaps a game to receiving zero snaps against Oklahoma seems quite telling.
No one knows what the future holds for Carter, but I wouldn’t expect to see him back in a Tennessee uniform in 2026.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports Tennessee Vols as The Tennessee coaching staff appeared to send a subtle but loud message to Vols defensive back Boo Carter.
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