Why Colorado Cornerback Boo Carter Has Opposing Teams Paying Attention

Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Boo Carter keeps getting challenged at outside corner, and the early returns are giving his position change real evidence.

Colorado cornerback Boo Carter has faced a team-high 13 coverage targets through two games while allowing six catches for 53 yards. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Quarterbacks have not been avoiding Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Boo Carter. Through two games, they have looked his way more than any other Colorado defender, and the return has stayed modest for all that attention. 

Carter has been targeted a team-high 13 times in coverage, DNVR Buffs reporter Scott Procter reported Sunday. Six of those throws have been completed for 53 yards, leaving opposing quarterbacks at 46 percent when they challenge him. Those targets have produced a little more than four yards per attempt.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Justice Haynes (22) rushes the ball against Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Boo Carter (6) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For a player learning the demands of outside corner after working at nickel and safety earlier in his college career, the volume is useful. Carter is not building his case on reputation alone because quarterbacks keep giving him snaps that can prove something.

Boo Carter Is Getting Tested at Outside Corner

Colorado defensive pass game coordinator and nickels coach Kevin Mathis made clear in the spring that talent was never the issue with Carter. The challenge, however, was making that talent show up snap after snap.

“There’s no doubt about the talent being there,” Mathis said before adding that Colorado needed Carter “to be consistent on every play.”

Two games cannot settle that conversation, but 13 targets give it somewhere to start. Carter has allowed fewer than half of the passes thrown his way to be completed. Those six catches have totaled 53 yards, so the average completion against him has gained fewer than nine.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes players react after the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

His first Colorado game produced the louder moment. Carter blocked a field goal with three seconds left to seal a 14-13 win at Georgia Tech, a play that earned him Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week. The coverage numbers offer a quieter look at how his move outside is improving.

Playing outside asks Carter to survive more isolated coverage, and opposing offenses have been willing to find out whether he can. So far, they have kept throwing without getting much back.

Deion Sanders Wanted Boo Carter Focused on Defense First

The fun part of Carter’s arrival was imagining everything Colorado could do with him. Deion Sanders discussed offense, returns, and several defensive roles before the season, but he attached one condition to all of it. 

“He has to focus on dominating the defensive game, and then we’ll see about that,” Sanders said in August.

Sep 12, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes tight end Zayne DeSouza (83) and head coach Deion Sanders before the game against Weber State at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That defensive focus is tied directly to Sanders’ NFL projection for Carter. At Colorado’s fall media day, Sanders said Carter could be a first-round pick if his talent becomes consistent production.

“This year, I feel like he would be a first-rounder when he puts it all on tape and does what he’s capable of doing,” Sanders said.

Colorado has not needed to hide Carter while he learns outside corner. Opponents have thrown at him often enough to make his coverage part of the weekly plan, and he has kept the return modest.

The 46 percent figure will move as the sample grows, and two games are nowhere near enough to declare the position change complete. Still, 13 targets have already given Carter the kind of repeated outside-corner test that can make the tape meaningful.

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