Boo Carter visits children's hospital in ongoing reinstatement to Tennessee football team
Tennessee defensive back/punt returner Boo Carter visited the East Tennessee Children's Hospital as he steadily works his way back into the good graces of coach Josh Heupel and his teammates.
Carter visited patients at the children's hospital each afternoon during UT's first three days of preseason practice, beginning July 30. One patient's family thanked Carter for his visit in a social media post on X.
"When you have to make your visits to @EastTNChildrens, it is always made a little brighter when you are greeted by a VOL! Thank you for bringing some joy to our visit! @boo_Carter6 @Vol_Football," Erin Clark (@gcalblue) posted on X.
Carter, a preseason All-SEC selection, is serving what appears to be a de facto suspension, although Heupel has not identified his status in that way.
Carter missed numerous team activities in the summer, and he was confronted by team leaders because of his absence. Carter has been set apart from the team during preseason practices.
Tennessee players often visit East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Sometimes they go on their own, and other times it's an organized team activity. In either instance, players gain perspective and build bonds with patients.
It appears Carter went to the hospital as part of his reinstatement as a full-fledged member of the team, which is an ongoing process.
“Boo is a part of our team here. There’s some things that he’s got to accomplish to get back on the field with us," Heupel said during UT’s on-campus media day on July 29. “Don’t have a set timeline on that.”
What changed for Boo Carter at Tennessee football practice
There was a slight change to Carter's routine at UT's third preseason practice on Aug. 2. He wore his helmet and shoulder pads for the first time.
However, Carter remains separate from his teammates during the bulk of practice, as exclusion appears to be part of his punishment for missing some summer activities.
Carter goes through the stretching period with his teammates. But when they break off into positional groups, he steps to the side and does drills on his own. And when the team transitions from the indoor facility to the outdoor practice field for the bulk of practice, Carter remains inside with injured players.
That's been his routine through the first three practices of preseason, at least during periods open to the media. The only difference in the third practice is that he wore a helmet and shoulder pads like his teammates.
Carter is among UT's most talented players. Last season, he earned SEC All-Freshman honors as a defensive back and return specialist.
The Chattanooga native started at Star position, what UT calls its nickelback, and posted 38 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, one sack, three quarterback hurries and one interception. And he led the SEC with a 16.5-yard average on punt returns.
In spring practice, UT started exploring ways to use Carter at wide receiver, as well. The 2025 season is supposed to allow Carter to do his best impression of Travis Hunter, who won the 2024 Heisman Trophy as a two-way player at Colorado.
“We are going to take it slow here in the beginning and we will figure out where we are at as we get deeper into camp," Heupel said when asked about Carter still playing offense this season after missing time.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.