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Boo Carter moves to WR in Tennessee football spring practice, catches Nico Iamaleava passes
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- Boo Carter moves to WR in Tennessee football spring practice, catches Nico Iamaleava passes
Boo Carter began his journey as a two-way player for Tennessee football on Monday, alternating from defensive back to wide receiver during practice.
He's not just doing an impression of Travis Hunter , who won the Heisman Trophy as a two-way player at Colorado last season.
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Playing offense and defense is something Carter did as a Tennessee Titans Class 6A Mr. Football winner at Bradley Central High. And it's what he wanted to continue doing when he came to UT a year ago.
Carter is now getting his wish in his second spring practice, offering his talents to a third position. Last season, Carter earned SEC All-Freshman honors as a defensive back and punt returner. He's now also practicing at slot receiver.
On Monday, the first half of practice was open to media, providing of glimpse of how Carter is juggling multiple positions.
Boo Carter catches passes from Nico Iamaleava
During the scrimmage portion, Carter was at his usual starting position at Star, what UT calls its nickelback. He wore an orange jersey, which is designated for defense.
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After a few plays on defense, Carter jogged to the offensive side, and a manager put a white vest over his orange jersey. He rotated in at slot receiver and caught two passes from quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Carter snagged a screen pass, where his open-field skills could be a weapon. Then he made a diving catch on a short pass.
How Boo Carter talks trash from both sides
The transition looked seamless. Between plays, Carter talked with Braylon Staley, the projected starter at slot receiver. Then Iamaleava joined the conversation with a few instructions.
Carter re-entered the lineup at slot receiver, where he blocked on a few run plays. Then he dropped the white vest, returned to the defensive side and immediately stepped in at nickelback.
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Carter covered Staley, with whom he had just been discussing receiving routes a few minutes earlier. Needless to say, he wasn't fooled when Staley tried to get open on the ensuing play.
But the double duty produced a funny moment, when Carter's playful trash-talking extended to both sides of the football. On defense, he was jawing at receivers. But when he switched to offense, his chatter toward the receivers kept going, even though he was playing alongside them.
"We were beside each other (on offense), literally in the same (play) call, and he was chirping," freshman wide receiver Travis Smith said. "We were on the same ball side, and I was like, 'Boo, be quiet.'
"But (Carter) is really twitchy. Boo has a bright future on both sides of the ball because he knows (defensive) keys that us receivers don't know."
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How much offense will Boo Carter play?
Juggling two positions will be a work in progress for Carter. Coaches don't want his defensive play to slip while he moonlights on offense.
But they're optimistic he can do both. Coach Josh Heupel will determine how much Carter plays on offense. But defensive coordinator Tim Banks said defense is still Carter's primary role.
"Boo understands that he's a defensive back for us," Banks said. "The goal every year is to be the last man standing, so we're doing anything we can to give everybody an opportunity to grow. His role on offense will be dictated by (Heupel). At this point, (Carter) seems to be handling it very well."
Tennessee defensive back Boo Carter (23) returns a punt during a college football game between Tennessee and UTEP at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024.
Boo Carter came to Tennessee to play both ways
Carter was accustomed to playing both ways in high school.
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As a senior at Bradley Central in 2023, he racked up 1,795 all-purpose yards and 27 touchdowns. That included 55 receptions for 911 receiving yards and 12 TDs. He also had 102 tackles and two interceptions on defense and two returns TDs on special teams that season.
Carter did the same at Chattanooga Christian as a junior in 2022. On offense, he had 678 rushing yards, 780 receiving yards and 28 total TDs while earning all-state honors as a two-way player.
As a recruit, Carter was listed as an athlete rather than receiver or defensive back. He was ranked the No. 4 athlete in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports Composite . And he could've signed at virtually any school as either a receiver or defensive back, but he came to UT hoping to do both.
But as a freshman, UT wanted him to master defense first, and that didn't take long. He was a starter by midseason and a difference-maker not long after that. He had 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and three quarterback hurries in 2024.
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Carter was even a quicker study at punt returner, which he took over at midseason. He averaged 16.5 yards per punt return, which would've led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally if he had enough return attempts to qualify.
Now Carter will try to expand his role to all three phases of the game. He's got the rest of spring practice and the fall to learn how to juggle everything on his plate for his sophomore season.
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 .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Boo Carter: Tennessee DB plays WR in spring, catches Nico Iamaleava passes
