Former First-Rounder Jordyn Adams, Who Played 38 MLB Games, Enrolls at SMU to Play College Football

Jordyn Adams has enrolled at SMU and plans to join the Mustangs football program, a source confirmed to CBS Sports. Adams spent the better part of eight years pursuing a professional baseball career before electing to return to football. Adams was the No.

3 wide receiver recruit in the 2018 class according to 247Sports and ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect nationally. The only receivers ranked ahead of him were Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja'Marr Chase.

He attended Green Hope High School in Cary, North Carolina, and signed with North Carolina with the intention of playing both football and baseball. Those plans changed when the Los Angeles Angels selected Adams with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and signed him to a deal worth more than $3 million.

Adams never enrolled at North Carolina. His professional baseball career stretched from 2018 until May 20, 2026, when he last appeared in a game with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Adams made his major league debut in 2023 and appeared in 17 games for the Angels that season.

He returned for 11 games in 2024. After departing the Angels organization, he spent time with the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers organizations. In total, Adams played 38 MLB games, collecting 13 hits, six runs scored, one home run and five RBIs.

Adams appeared in 678 minor league games and accumulated more than 2,400 at-bats. His baseball career came to a close last month after a brief stint in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He never played college football before enrolling at SMU.

Other former professional baseball players have followed similar paths. Monte Harrison joined the Arkansas football program in 2023 after nearly a decade in professional baseball. Brandon Weeden became Oklahoma State's starting quarterback in 2010 after years in the minor leagues.

Chris Weinke spent six seasons in professional baseball before enrolling at Florida State and winning the Heisman Trophy in 2000 at age 28. As of now, Adams remains eligible to play college football, though the NCAA continues to debate significant eligibility changes.

Last month, Division I leaders discussed an age-based "five-for-five" model that would give athletes five years to compete beginning immediately after high school graduation or their 19th birthday.