'Is he going to be back for game one?' - Vols insider gives the latest on Boo Carter after Tennessee holds its first fall practice

After weeks of uncertainty, Tennessee Vols defensive back Boo Carter was on the field with his teammates for the first day of fall practice.

Carter went through stretches with his teammates, but he didn't participate in practice.

Instead, Carter went off to the side to do some conditioning work before spending the afternoon doing some community service.

VolQuest's Brent Hubbs joined The Inside Scoop on Wednesday to give the latest on Carter and his status with the team.

Hubbs noted that there's no timetable for Carter's full return to the team.

“He’s on the team, but he’s not with the team on the practice field,” said Hubbs. “He stretched and was with the team for some of the early pre-practice stuff on day one. And then he went off, after he got stretched out, to do his own conditioning and [to do] part of the things he has to do to try to work his way back onto this team and into good graces.

"Again, he’s still on the team, but to be an active participant in practice and all of that, he spent the afternoon doing community service -- he actually went to the Children’s Hospital and spent the afternoon visiting with some patients there. These were all part of the things set out in front of Boo Carter that he has to do in oder to put himself back in good standing with his teammates and with his coaches. I think for Boo Carter, everyone wants to know when [he will fully be back with the team], is he going to be back for game one? When’s he going to be on the practice field? I don’t think we know the answer to that. I think right now, the expectation is that there probably isn’t much expectation. The hope is that he stacks good days upon good days and continues to do everything that’s being asked of him in an effort to win back the trust of his teammates and coaches.” 

“He came back to Knoxville on Monday, and it’s my understanding he visited with the team in a team meeting," continued Hubbs. "And [he] stood up and addressed the team as an entire group on Tuesday. But I think at this point, actions speak a lot louder than words. That’s why I think this is a slow process. That’s why Josh Heupel did not put any kind of timetable on it. It’s a, ‘We’ll see’. Because he has to work his way back.

"As a student athlete, you can make mistakes and your teammates will forgive you pretty quickly. That’s just kind of how it’s always been. But when you bail on your teammates, when you don’t show and you don’t put in the work that you’re teammates are doing, or your teammates are forced to do extra things as a punishment because you weren’t there or you were tardy, you gotta work to get your teammates' trust back. And I think that’s where Boo Carter is right now."

It sounds like Carter is doing what he has to do to be on Tennessee's roster this fall. But he'll have to be consistent in doing all of those things before he's fully welcomed back.