Memphis linebacker after the spring semester.
Avery, from Grenada, Miss., says he wants to join the Rebels to be closer to his mother, who is battling an illness. Grenada is about 45 miles southwest of Oxford.
Avery was a starter in 2015. He had 53 tackles, 6.5 for a loss and three sacks in 11 games; he missed the final two games with a wrist injury. He was a key reserve as a true freshman in 2014.
Avery’s hope is to be allowed to transfer to Ole Miss and be eligible in 2017.
(You can follow Dan Mathews on Twitter @DanMathewsATL)
(Feature photo by JUSTIN FORD/USA TODAY SPORTS)