Knights Under Lights: Tre Avery
In Knights Under Lights, The Daily Targum looks at athletes who distinguished themselves during their time on the Banks.
Tre Avery forged a new path when he joined the Rutgers football team in 2017. Following former Scarlet Knights head coach Chris Ash from Columbus, Ohio, to the banks of the Raritan, Avery has always opted for the road less traveled.
Avery, a three-star recruit and the 58th-ranked cornerback in 2016, spent the first year of his collegiate career at Ohio State. Hailing from Baltimore, he was redshirted as a freshman, failing to record a single snap before entering the transfer portal later that year. Avery transferred to Rutgers, where he did not appear in a game in his sophomore season, setting himself up for four years of eligibility on the Banks.
As a junior, Avery appeared in two games for the Knights, but his impact would start being felt the following season.
In the first of three senior campaigns for Avery, the talented defensive back stuffed the stat sheet with 17 tackles and two interceptions. Fatefully, the best game of Avery's season came against the Buckeyes, where he recorded three total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble against his former team.
In 2020, Avery played the best football of his collegiate career, recording 37 tackles, eight pass breakups and an interception in nine games en route to Third Team All-Big Ten honors from coaches and the media. The next year was more of the same for Avery, who racked up another 37 tackles and six pass deflections in all 12 games before declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft.
The now-former Rutgers athlete didn't hear his name called during the draft but quickly signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. In training camp, Avery not only earned a roster spot but also the trust of the coaching staff as well. He was rewarded with 14 appearances in his rookie year, where he took full advantage of a well-deserved opportunity.
In the 2022 NFL season, Avery recorded 25 total tackles and a team-high nine pass deflections, becoming the first Titans rookie to lead the team in that category since Adoree' Jackson in 2017. The 5-foot-11 cornerback earned favorable Pro Football Focus grades as well.
In his second season as a professional, Avery accumulated 27 total tackles and two pass deflections. While he will fight an uphill battle this summer to make the 2024 roster, the former Knight is certainly up to the task.
At Rutgers, Avery brought a level of hard work, toughness and grit that is rarely found in the modern game. Those traits, paired with the skills he honed as a Knight, should result in a major comeback for one of Rutgers' best defensive backs in recent memory.
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