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