In April, the Tennessee Volunteers were stunned when their starting quarterback unexpectedly left the team after skipping a spring practice. The sudden absence caught both coaches and fans off guard, and speculation soon followed. Reports later suggested that Nico Iamaleava’s father may have taken issue with how the program was structured for his son.
“You got to get better around him if you want us to stick around. Which blows my mind that a college quarterback’s dad would do that to a head coach,” Kirk Herbstreit shared.
As fall camp approached, Tennessee braced for another potential situation reminiscent of Iamaleava’s exit — this time involving Boo Carter, a talented sophomore expected to be a key contributor on defense, offense, and special teams. Carter’s repeated absences raised eyebrows.
“Tennessee sophomore defensive back Boo Carter is expected to be one of the Volunteers' best players in 2025 on defense, offense and special teams, but his status with the team is unclear as we inch closer to August. Carter has missed ‘numerous’ team activities and was even confronted by team leaders because of his absences, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel,” CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani reported.
Despite missing several practices, Carter has remained with the team — though not without consequences.
“Boo is a part of our team here,” Josh Heupel said. “There’s some things he’s got to accomplish to get back on the field here. Don’t have a set timetable on that. Our leadership council has been apart 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 thing, I think Boo sees that as well.”
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While the situation seemed to be settling down, attention shifted online — this time toward Carter’s mother, who has recently gone viral. The resemblance to Iamaleava’s saga has become hard to ignore.
“First, there was the saga involving former Volunteer turned UCLA Bruin Nico Iamaleava and his dad, and now Boo Carter's mom enters the fray, surely not wanting to be outdone. After transfer rumors started to swirl for Carter this summer, Josh Heupel was able to offer some temporary reassurance in the form of announcing the defensive back in question was practicing with the team. But, unfortunately, those rumors seem to have picked back up with Mama Carter (or rather, MommaBoo6) taking to social media and crowing about how good a developer Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is,” OutKick’s Austin Perry wrote.
This development certainly doesn’t bode well for Carter’s long-term future at Tennessee — even if he finishes out the season. Much like Iamaleava, this appears to be another case of a parent trying to steer their son toward another program. Only time will tell how it ends, but the signs suggest this situation may not resolve quietly.