'These two team leaders are sick of it' - Insider shares the latest on the situation with Tennessee Vols DB Boo Carter

Rumors continue to circulate that Tennessee Vols defensive back Boo Carter is dealing with some off-the-field issues that could impact his status at UT. 

Vols insider/show host Tony Basilio commented on the rumors surrounding Carter on Tuesday, pointing out that it's not a "slam dunk" that the Chattanooga native plays for Tennessee in 2025. 

"They're having some issues with him," said Basilio. "I do think that's real. And I don't, at this point in time, think it's a slam dunk that he's playing here this year. I think that's a fair thing to say."

Basilio added some context to the situation on Tuesday evening, suggesting that Tennessee's leadership council is unhappy with Carter because he's supposedly been "unplugged" this summer. Basilio also noted that Tennessee went through a similar situation with edge rusher James Pearce last summer. 

"Tennessee paid [Carter] a lot of money to keep him here," said Basilio. "And quite frankly, he has not been plugged in this summer. In fact, he's been borderline unplugged. I've been told -- the picture that's painted is one where he's missed some workouts. He's come late to some team stuff, and you have to understand something about Tennessee's current situation and their current setup. And remember, we're back to the fact that Josh Heupel wants to guard his culture.

"One of the ways he does it is through the power and the magic of his council....Heupel doesn't want just team captains as part of this [council], but he's [also] got guys that are leaders. On the screen right now (in the YouTube video), you see Miles Kitselman, and then you see (Joshua) Josephs, who really was the straw that stirred the drink last year on that defensive line. [That was] because, well, Pearce drove him crazy. And drove everybody crazy, drove Rodney Garner crazy."

"So let's get to the Boo Carter situation," continued Basilio. "Boo Carter, this summer, as I just told you, has been pretty unplugged. And these two team leaders (Kitselman and Josephs) are sick of it. In fact, that whole council is sick of it. In fact, Josh Heupel has a decision [to make] and the ball in his court on what he's going to do with Boo Carter. Because that council has been vocal toward the head coach, according to people I talked to, that they don't want to see this (a player being unplugged) go on again.....I'm not saying whether or not Boo Carter is going to be on Tennessee's football team this year. I don't pretend to know that. I am going to tell you this -- this thing is real. This a real situation, this a real problem. This has become a problem. And it's become a distraction."