SMU signs former MLB player Jordyn Adams to football scholarship: 26-year-old was a 5-star WR recruit in 2018

Jordyn Adams spent the better part of eight years pursuing one sports dream. Now, he's returning to another. The former five-star football recruit and first-round MLB Draft pick has enrolled at SMU and plans to join the Mustangs football program, a source confirmed to CBS Sports.

Adams was once considered one of the country's premier high school athletes. A standout at Green Hope High School in Cary, North Carolina, he finished his prep career ranked as the No. 3 wide receiver in the 2018 class and the No. 14 overall prospect nationally. The only receivers ranked ahead of him were future NFL stars Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja'Marr Chase.

Adams signed with North Carolina and intended to play both football and baseball. But those plans changed when the Los Angeles Angels selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and signed him away from college on a deal worth more than $3 million.

The decision launched a professional baseball career that stretched from 2018 until just two weeks ago, when he last appeared in a game on May 20 with Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Adams climbed through the Angels' farm system before making his major league debut in 2023. He appeared in 17 games for Los Angeles that season and returned for 11 more 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. He spent the bulk of his career in the minor leagues, appearing in 678 games and accumulating more than 2,400 at-bats while showcasing the athleticism that once made him one of the nation's top football recruits.

His baseball career came to a close last month after a brief stint in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Rather than continue pursuing another opportunity in professional baseball, Adams has elected to revisit the sport many believed could have carried him to a professional career as well.

How is Jordyn Adams still eligible to play college football?

As of now, he is, but 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 -- whichever comes first. If adopted, the proposal would dramatically alter the current system and could impact cases like Adams' in the future.

He never enrolled at North Carolina after signing with the Angels. Because Adams went directly into professional baseball and never played college football, his eligibility situation differs from that of a traditional college athlete.

While uncommon, Adams is not the first former professional baseball player to return to college football. Former MLB outfielder Monte Harrison joined Arkansas in 2023 after spending nearly a decade in professional baseball, while former first-round baseball draft pick Brandon Weeden became Oklahoma State's starting quarterback in 2010 after years in the minor leagues. Perhaps the most famous example is Chris Weinke, who spent six seasons in professional baseball before enrolling at Florida State and eventually winning the Heisman Trophy in 2000 at age 28.