An X-Factor Is ALREADY Emerging For The Tennessee Vols At Spring Practice...

Lucas Panzica talks about an x-factor that is already emerging at Tennessee Vols spring practice.

Transcript

00:00The University of Tennessee is only one week into spring practice, but there has already

00:04been one major X factor to emerge early on in spring ball.

00:12Hey, Lucas Panzeca here from 104.5 The Zone and A to Z Sports. That's right,

00:16only a few days so far on the practice field in the lead up to the spring game on April 12th,

00:22but according to multiple reports from practice in Knoxville, Boo Carter already

00:27is a player that is sticking out as he heads into his sophomore season. Why is that? Because Boo

00:33Carter has been playing both sides of the ball at practice. Now, Tennessee fans anticipated this

00:39going into this offseason. Boo Carter flashed both as a defensive back and with the ball in

00:44his hands as a punt returner in 2024 with an average of 16.5 yards per punt return.

00:51And then there was plenty of noise around him going into the offseason with reports that

00:55he was toying with the idea of entering the transfer portal. Boo Carter returns to Tennessee

01:01in 2025 with one caveat that he will at least get an opportunity to play both offense and

01:08defense. Now, Carter was a highly recruited prospect as an athlete. He obviously made an

01:13impact on both sides of the ball in high school, as many highly regarded prospects do. But as he

01:19continues to work on his position as the star defensive back, in other words, the nickel in

01:24this Tennessee defense, he is getting snaps in practice as a slot receiver for the Vols.

01:30Nico E. Maliava has talked a lot about playing with Boo Carter on offense, the trash talk that

01:35he brings over from the defensive side of the ball. And it looks like this is going to be a

01:40meaningful opportunity for Carter to fill a position of need for the Vols in 2025 at wide

01:47receiver. We've talked about it right here. There is a lot of unproven talent at that position in

01:53that room for the University of Tennessee. When you look at returning starters, Chris Brazel,

01:59by far the most productive one. And then there's the promise of a Mike Matthews and a lot of

02:04question marks after that unproven freshman transfers like Amari Jefferson of Alabama,

02:10insert Boo Carter, who is an exciting talent that can add to that wide receiver room.

02:15And by the way, that's a pretty hot topic right now. Defensive backs playing both sides as we

02:20watch the pre-draft process and Travis Hunter potentially being the number one overall pick

02:26in the draft, at the very least a top four pick in the upcoming draft. Now, Travis Hunter did it at

02:32an unprecedented level, right? As a thousand yard wide receiver, while simultaneously being one of

02:37the best cornerbacks in the country, he won the Heisman trophy and deservedly so. But I think

02:42there will be a bit of a ripple effect for players that believe they can make an impact on both sides

02:48of the ball and just seeing that while rare, it is possible watching a talent like Travis Hunter,

02:54get it done at Colorado. So Tennessee is going to give Boo Carter every opportunity to do exactly

03:00that in 2025. If early spring practice is any sort of indication and Boo Carter has the athletic and

03:07talent profile to be able to do it. We'll see just how much of an impact he can make on offense

03:13while primarily playing defense and of course continuing in his role as this team's punt

03:18returner. But it was a big topic for Tennessee fans all off season. And it looks like Boo

03:22Carter is getting that opportunity that he wanted going into 2025.