Eight years after choosing professional baseball over college football, former Los Angeles Angels first-round pick Jordyn Adams is getting a second chance at the sport he left behind.
According to multiple reports, Adams, 26, has enrolled at Southern Methodist University and plans to join the Mustangs football program this fall, marking one of the more unusual career pivots in recent sports memory.
Adams will join an SMU program led by head coach Rhett Lashlee, who has quickly transformed the Mustangs into one of the nation’s rising programs after going 31-10 over the last three seasons.
Adams will have a golden opportunity to make the squad as the program’s top two 2025 receivers, Jordan Hudson and Romello Brinson, joined the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.
Adams’ decision to pursue baseball is remarkable considering how highly regarded he was as a football prospect coming out of Green Hope High School in North Carolina. A five-star recruit and top-100 national prospect, Adams originally committed to North Carolina to play both football and baseball.
He chose the home state Tar Heels over powerhouse programs such as Alabama and Clemson and was ranked among a loaded recruiting class that included future NFL stars Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Everything changed when the Angels selected Adams with the 17th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Instead of heading to Chapel Hill, Adams signed a lucrative professional contract reportedly worth $3.5 million, betting on baseball over football.
At the time, that decision made perfect sense financially. NIL opportunities did not yet exist, and very few college athletes had access to life-changing money before turning professional.
Ironically, the current NIL landscape looks very different.
Oregon freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore, widely considered the top receiver prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, reportedly carries an NIL valuation of roughly $712,000. Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith is reportedly earning between $4 million and $5 million annually through NIL opportunities.
Those figures are comparable to the money Adams received when he signed with the Angels eight years ago. His most recent contract with Baltimore paid approximately $740,000 before his baseball journey ultimately ended.
Unfortunately for Adams, his baseball career never developed the way many expected. Once a top-three prospect in the organization, he appeared in 38 major league games between the Angels and Baltimore Orioles, hitting .165 with one home run and five RBIs.
While he flashed elite athleticism throughout the minor leagues and accumulated 55 home runs during his professional career, he never secured a permanent major league role.
Now, Adams is betting on the athletic ability that once made him one of the nation’s most coveted football recruits.
Because he never enrolled in college, Adams still retains eligibility under current NCAA rules, though future eligibility changes remain under discussion. Existing rules are expected to apply for the 2026-27 academic year, clearing a path for Adams to suit up for SMU.
It’s a fascinating gamble for both player and program and one of the rarest comeback stories college football will see this season.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
