A Former MLB Player Who Was a Five-Star WR Recruit Is Going Back to College Football at 26, and It's the Craziest Comeback Story Yet

Okay, 12s, stop whatever you're doing right now. You won't believe this wildness that just dropped. In a move that absolutely nobody saw coming, a former Major League Baseball player, Jordyn Adams, is ditching the diamond and heading back to the college gridiron. At 26 years old! Seriously, this dude just signed with the SMU Mustangs to play wide receiver this fall. Talk about a career pivot that makes your head spin!

From MLB Prospect to College Gridiron

How did we even get here? Jordyn Adams was in the big leagues, rocking an Angels uniform, appearing in 38 Major League games across 2023 and 2024. Then he bounced to the Orioles for 10 games in 2025 and even signed with the Brewers for 2026, getting assigned to Triple-A Nashville before getting released in May. His MLB career saw a .165 batting average, one homer, and five RBIs, making a full-time spot look pretty unlikely. But before all that, in the minor leagues, he played 678 games, batted .245, smacked 55 home runs, drove in 304 runs, and stole 165 bases. He debuted in the majors in August 2023, and CBS Sports dropped the bombshell this week that he's now making the switch. Instead of looking for another team, he's trading in the batting cage for the playbook. You gotta respect the hustle, even if it feels completely bonkers.

The Five-Star Talent That Could Have Been in the NFL

Here's where it gets even crazier for us football fanatics. Adams wasn't just some casual athlete; he was a legitimate superstar on the football field way back in 2018. 247Sports ranked him as a five-star wide receiver, the No. 3 player at the position, and the No. 14 overall player in his class. Think about that for a second. The guys ranked ahead of him at wide receiver? Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja’Marr Chase. Yeah, those guys. Patrick Surtain II and Micah Parsons were also in that top 15 class. Adams was a standout in both baseball and football at Green Hope High School and committed to North Carolina. But then the Los Angeles Angels came calling, drafting him 17th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft and dangling a contract with a slot value of about $3.5 million. He chose baseball, and honestly, who wouldn't be tempted by that? But now, after all these years, he's circling back to his original gridiron dreams. He's signed with the SMU Mustangs and will be suiting up as a wide receiver this fall. What a storyline!

So, get ready to keep an eye on SMU this fall, because Jordyn Adams is about to embark on one of the most unexpected second acts in recent memory. Will he show us the NFL star he could have been? Will he make Seattle fans wonder what if? It's going to be wild to watch him try and make good on that five-star potential, even after all this time. You know we'll be watching!

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.