‘I’d say there’s some frustration there’ – Vols insider shares the latest on Boo Carter’s status at Tennessee
Vols defensive back Boo Carter didn’t play any defensive snaps in Tennessee’s loss to the Oklahoma Sooners last weekend.
Tennessee Vols defensive back Boo Carter played zero defensive snaps in UT’s loss to the Oklahoma Sooners last weekend.
Carter, who missed numerous team activities during the summer (which put his status with the team in question), had played at least 21 defensive snaps in every game this season before playing zero defensive snaps against the Sooners.
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
VolQuest’s Austin Price shares the latest on Vols defensive back Boo Carter
VolQuest’s Austin Price joined WNML’s Josh and Swain on Wednesday, and he shared the latest on Carter.
“Nobody expects Boo to be here next year,” said Price. “And the fact he didn’t play a defensive snap against Oklahoma tells me his status with the defensive staff. Now, he was back there for punts….But Josh Heupel pointed out in his press conference that they had a couple of line drive [punts] that basically Boo elected to fair catch and not return that he could have returned. And I’d say there’s some frustration there.
“Listen, if you’re not gonna play him on defense, I wouldn’t have him return punts. Because ultimately, he’s not very happy. And Tennessee wasn’t very happy with his effort at Kentucky. Boo earned his stripes last year through his play. This year, he decided to go AWOL in July, he had to go through some stuff off the field to be back on this football team, [and he] still had some minor hiccups behind the scenes. And this staff has kind of stuck with him, even with him kind of coming off the bench — he’s not been very good. And if he’s not going to be zoned in, locked in, and be willing to do the little things, then I don’t think you can trust him to do the little things out there in a big game in the Swamp or at home against Vanderbilt. So for me, if I’m the coach, I’m going in a different direction at this point in time. But that’s me.”
It certainly feels like the Boo Carter era at Tennessee is quickly coming to an end. It’s unfortunate because Carter is a dynamic athlete who could absolutely play on Sundays. But what he’s put on tape this season, combined with the off-the-field concerns, could dramatically impact his future NFL draft stock.
I don’t know the entire behind-the-scenes story — only Carter, the coaches, and his teammates know the full deal — but I think it’s more than fair to say that Boo Carter hasn’t helped himself any this year.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports Tennessee Vols as ‘I’d say there’s some frustration there’ – Vols insider shares the latest on Boo Carter’s status at Tennessee.