RTI)
After a late-season split from the Tennessee football program, it looks like Boo Carter could potentially wind up with an SEC rival in the transfer portal for the coming season. According to a report from On3 Sports’ Steve Wiltfong, Kentucky and Alabama are among the schools to watch for Carter’s services.
Wiltfong reported that other teams in the mix include Texas Tech, Nebraska, Miami, Louisville, and Texas A&M, who Tennessee plays in College Station, TX, next season.
With all things equal and only considering the teams that Wiltfong mentioned, there’s theoretically a decent chance that Tennessee winds up playing Carter next season. Tennessee will host the Crimson Tide and Wildcats next season, with a late-game trip to face the Aggies near the tail end of the schedule.
Carter had high expectations entering the 2025 season, but the drama began before fall camp when he no-showed a few team activities over the summer. Tennessee kept him on the roster, though, intent on letting him earn his way back into good standing with the team. Still, he didn’t play nearly as much during the season as one might have imagined coming out of his true freshman campaign in 2024.
Carter recorded 25 tackles, three pass deflections, and one sack during the season, but also muffed three punts on the year. The sophomore defender did not play in Tennessee’s late-season win over New Mexico State in November and was reportedly set to enter the portal the next day.
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Now, after just over a month of radio silence, it appears that Carter has a decent list of suitors for his talent in the portal. Perhaps he goes to one of the SEC teams that Wiltfong listed, which would make sense from the standpoint of opponent familiarity, but maybe he winds up getting a completely fresh start by going out of conference. There’s still talent there, specifically using some of the tape during his freshman season, but things never quite manifested on the field during this past year.
Carter released a statement following his departure from the team, claiming that his season was cut short due to injury. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, though, refuted the claim by stating that, by the information he got from his trainers, he did not feel it necessary to put him on the injury report during the season.
All in all, both parties have gone their separate ways. But judging from Wiltfong’s report for On3 Sports this week, there could be a meeting between the two sides in the near future, if Carter decides to stay in the SEC with one of the three teams listed. Alabama and Texas A&M are both gearing up for a first-round playoff game this weekend, while Kentucky is beginning a new era under head coach Will Stein.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee football news.
