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In the latest example of a professional athlete making the jump to the college level, former Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jordyn Adams finally gets the chance to play college football at SMU.
Adams, one of the top wide receivers in the 2018 class, which also featured Ja’Marr Chase, was scheduled to attend North Carolina to play baseball and football until the Angels selected him 17th overall that year, with a lucrative signing bonus.
A true 5-star prospect, Adams had high expectations when he decided to sign with North Carolina.
But as MLB came with a lucrative payday and opportunity, the talented catcher’s life story changed course.
Brendan Sorsby bet on his own team, but the NCAA is somehow the bad guy in this case.
Jordyn Adams of the Milwaukee Brewers catches a fly ball during the eighth inning of a spring training game against the Cleveland Guardians at American Family Fields in Phoenix on Feb. 21, 2026. (David Durochik/Diamond Images)
After starting her career with the Los Angeles Angels, Jordyn would finally make her Major League debut in 2023.
He ended up playing in 17 games that season for the organization, before playing another 11 games in 2024, and eventually toured a few clubhouses before ending his baseball career two weeks ago after playing his final minor league game.
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His professional career, which ended with 13 hits at the MLB level, never took off, bouncing around the minor league system and briefly landing on showbiz. Adams hit 55 home runs during his time in the minors.
Jordyn Adams of the Los Angeles Angels singles to defeat the Chicago White Sox in the 13th inning at Angel Stadium in Anaheim on September 18, 2024. (John McCoy/Getty Images)
Now, following in the footsteps of others, most recently Monte Harrison at Arkansas, Jordyn Adams will finally don the pads in college.
As of last week, the two-way player signed with the SMU Mustangs, where he will play wide receiver this fall. Will it have the same success we saw at Mount Harrison in Arkansas?
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That remains to be seen, but the opportunity to pursue his second career, while entering college for the first time, was an opportunity he obviously had in the back of his mind.
Jordyn Adams bats during the ninth inning of her Orioles debut against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park in Baltimore on May 31, 2025. The Orioles won 4-2. (Diamond Images/Getty Images)
If you’re wondering, yes, this is legal under NCAA rules, since he never actually attended college or started his eligibility clock.
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But as the NCAA prepares to pass the “5 on 5” rule, the timing of Adams’ enrollment at SMU was obviously a clear sign that he needed to get into college now.
Under the potential new rules, an athlete’s stopwatch would start the moment they graduate from high school or turn 19.
Would this affect Adams? I doubt it, and I can’t imagine SMU would want to waste time on a player who might end up being ineligible in the end, so the decision makes sense for both parties. And remember, he never actually enrolled at North Carolina in 2018, so he technically has years of college football eligibility left.
She may be a little older, but we’re about to find out if Jordyn Adams still has any juice left on the football field.
