Tennessee is going to be a mixed bag of results ahead of the season. They weren’t so until Nico Iamaleava transferred out, leaving chaos in his wake. Josh Heupel went from being a coach who was looking to have a safe season to one who looks at imminent downfall. Though his former star left camp, Heupel is confirming the presence of another. For this season, at least, Boo Carter will remain in Tennessee and not in Shedeur Sanders‘ former CFB home.

Losing another star would’ve been a TKO for Josh Heupel and Co. Over the summer, there were rumors about DB Boo Carter also removing Tennessee from his college football feature since he missed a series of practices. Carter and some players got into an altercation on July 16, following which the DB remained away from workouts. That got fans doubting Carter’s future in Tennessee, especially since Heupel got the leadership council involved. But Heupel is nipping that chatter right in the bud.

“Boo is a part of our team here,” Heupel said during Tennessee’s preseason media day. “Our leadership council has been a part of those things, those discussions with me and with Boo. I’m proud of what they’ve done. They care and love Boo and want him to be his best, too. And through this, I think Boo sees that as well,” Heupel added. Carter missed a lot of team activities and also violated team rules multiple times. If Carter were leaving, it would largely be on disciplinary grounds. But the leadership council seems to have made a breakthrough, saving Josh Heupel from one more bout of chaos.

Losing Carter would have proven to be a bigger blow to Tennessee. Carter is a preseason All-SEC player and was preparing to play offense, defense, and even special teams. He earned the starting position at the STAR position, the Vols’ name for slot cornerback. But we also know that he is a phenomenal returner. He fielded 12 kicks for 128 yards and led the SEC with an average of 16.5 yards on punt returns.

Carter switched to agent Omar Cooper during this turbulent time at Tennessee, who represents Utah Jazz‘s Ace Bailey. And in this while, Colorado became the touted home in the event of his possible exit from Tennessee. However, Carter will not find an easy way out of Knoxville, at least for this season.

Josh Heupel’s potential loss becomes the backdrop of Shedeur Sanders’ agent’s big fail

Tennessee football players were to return to campus on July 29, because fall camp starts on July 30. With Heupel’s confirmation, Boo Carter is due to join his teammates on the field this Wednesday. We don’t know how much those relationships have improved, but there must have been an understanding to allow Carter to continue at Knoxville. For the record, Boo Carter will play his junior season with the Vols, preventing their already thin secondary from collapsing. No points for guessing why he has no way out, because the transfer portal is closed during this time of the year. But just in case, Colorado showed some serious effort in Boo Carter.

Travis Hunter being replaced by a 3-way player would’ve been a jackpot for Deion Sanders. However, that’s not happening. Shedeur Sanders’ agent, Hellion ‘Boog’ Knight, unfortunately fell for a parody account that claimed Carter was no longer with Tennessee. That fired up the Colorado transfer news, but he will have to wait until January to see if Carter truly does express a desire to move out.

The DB is the man of the hour in the secondary, especially because star CB Jermod McCoy is dealing with an injury. Three safeties, including Jakobe Thomas, transferred out of spring practice, making an unstable Volunteers squad even more shaky. The only way Boo Carter is getting out of Tennessee, without much drama, is when the transfer portal opens. But until then, Vols fans can expect a 3-way star in Knoxville in Boo Carter. The DB was also part of the receivers’ practices in the spring, which means the staff has plans for him in the offense. Will Josh Heupel see more surprises spring up on him during or even ahead of the season?