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 game 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 most unusual pivots in recent sports memory.
Adams will join an SMU program led by head coach Rhett Lashlee, who has quickly turned the Mustangs into one of the nation’s top programs after going 31-10 over the past three seasons.
Adams will have a good chance to make the team as the program’s top two wide receivers in 2025, Jordan Hudson and Romello Brinson, joined the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.
Adams’ decision to pursue baseball is surprising given how highly regarded he was as a football prospect coming out of Green Hope High School in North Carolina. A five-star and top 100 prospect, Adams originally committed to North Carolina to play football and baseball.
He chose the hometown Tar Heels over powerhouse programs like 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 pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Instead of heading to Chapel Hill, Adams signed a lucrative professional contract reportedly worth $3.5 million, betting baseball on football.
At the time, that decision made perfect financial sense. NIL opportunities didn’t exist yet, and very few college athletes were able to earn life-changing money before turning pro.
Ironically, the current state of NIL looks very different.
New Oregon receiver Dakorien Moore, widely considered the top receiver prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, reportedly carries a NIL value of about $712,000. Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith is reportedly making between $4 million and $5 million per year with NIL opportunities.
Those numbers compare to what Adams earned when he signed with the Angels eight years ago. His most recent contract with Baltimore paid him nearly $740,000 before the end of his baseball career.
Unfortunately for Adams, his baseball career did not develop as many expected. After scoring a career-high three points in the organization, he appeared in 38 major league games between the Angels and the Baltimore Orioles, hitting .165 with one home run and five RBIs.
While he displayed superior athleticism throughout the minor leagues and amassed 55 home runs during his professional career, he never found a permanent big league role.
Now, Adams is banking on the athleticism that once made him one of the most sought-after football players in the country.
Because he never enrolled in college, Adams remains eligible under current NCAA rules, although future eligibility changes are still being discussed. The existing rules are expected to take effect in the 2026-27 academic year, clearing the way for Adams to be eligible for SMU.
An interesting gamble for both player and program and one of the rarest comeback stories college football will see this season.
