Former First Round MLB Draft Pick Recruited to Play College Football in Texas at Age of 26
There's no way a Major League Baseball player can just put his bat down and join a college football program...right?
Jordyn Adams was selected 17th overall by the Los Angeles Angels in the First Round of the 2018 MLB Draft. The 26-year-old has spent the last eight years playing professional baseball across multiple different levels, before deciding to change his career path. Or at least he's decided he needs to go back to school to further his career...kinda.
During his baseball career he logged over 2,400 at bats in the minor league system, and recorded more than 600 hits. Adams also earned playing time at the Major League level during three different seasons with the Angels and Baltimore Orioles organization.
Adams was listed among the Top 100 players in the Prospect ratings from Baseball Prospectus three times. He was #99 in 2019, #72 in 2020, and #76 in 2021. He broke into the majors for the first time during the 2023 season, playing in 17 games for the Angels.
Transitioning From Professional Baseball To SMU Mustangs Football
Adams is returning to the gridiron to play college football for the SMU Mustangs. Before getting drafted into Major League Baseball, Adams was heavily recruited by college football programs. He was recognized as one of the top high school wide receiver prospects in America.
The SMU football program is acquiring now an athlete with years of professional sports experience...despite the fact that he has not played an organized football game in eight years. He is expected to utilize his speed as a wide receiver for the Mustangs offense.
How Former Pro Athletes Can Play College Sports Today
This may sound very odd...but its not the first time we've seen this play out. Also, this has nothing to do with the changes that NIL has brought onto NCAA sports.
A professional baseball player moving into college football is possible due to the current structure of NCAA eligibility rules. Athletes can maintain their amateur status in one sport even if they have been financially compensated as a professional in a different sport.
There are three major examples of this exact scenario playing out in recent history. In fact, one of the prime examples of this concept won a Heisman Trophy, and two players became First Round NFL Draft Picks.
Pro Baseball Players Who Played College Football
Tight End Hayden Hurst was drafted in the 17th Round of the 2012 MLB Draft, and played two seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates system. By 2015, he decided it was time to return to the football field. He walked on at South Carolina, and turned himself into a First Round NFL Draft pick by the end of his college career. He was taken with the 25th overall pick in the First Round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Hurst had a productive NFL career, playing in 79 regular season games, and 5 playoff games. He had 15 regular season touchdowns, and a pair of playoff touchdowns.
Growing up, Brandon Weeden had a golden right arm. In high school, Weeden was the starting quarterback, and starting pitcher, for Edmond Santa Fe High School. He was All-State in both football and baseball. His pitching was so good, the New York Yankees made him the their second round pick in the 2002 MLB Draft. He would play baseball until the 2006 season, which is when he decided to switch to football.
Weeden headed to Oklahoma State, where he joined the football team and redshirted his first year on campus. By the time he took over as the starter, Weeden was ready to go. His first year as starter, he threw for over 4,200 yards and 34 touchdowns. Good enough to be named First Team All-Big 12 and a finalist for the Manning Award.
In Weeden's senior year, he set Oklahoma State records for Passing Yards in a Season, Total Offense in a Season, Completed Passes in a Season, Completion Percentage for a Season, and the Most Completions in a Single Game. In his final college game, the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, Weeden threw for 399 yards and had 4 touchdowns in a 41-38 win over Stanford.
The Cleveland Browns then made him a First Round Draft Pick in 2012, using the 22nd overall pick to select him. He was 28-years-old at that time, making him the oldest player ever selected in the First Round of the NFL Draft. The Browns made him the starting quarterback right away, and he didn't perform too bad (for a rookie on the Cleveland Browns). Eventually Weeden would become a journeyman NFL QB, including stops in Dallas, Tennessee, and Houston.
Perhaps the most notable example of pro-baseball-player-turned-college-football-star is former Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke.
Weinke was another 2nd round MLB Draft Pick, being selected in the 1990 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He would play Minor League baseball until 1996, floating between A and AAA ball, logging almost 2,500 at bats, 620 hits, and 69 home runs.
But after Weinke quit baseball, he called one of the college football coaches that had recruited him while he was in high school about playing football again. That coach, was legendary Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden. Weinke was offered a scholarship for the 1997 recruiting class.
At Florida State, Weinke would take over the starting QB job heading into the 1998 season. By 1999, he was one of the best players in college football...he would lead the team to the Consensus National Championship, beating Michael Vick's Virginia Tech team in the BCS National Championship Game.
The next year, Weinke would win the Heisman Trophy in his final college season, before getting drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 4th Round of the NFL Draft. He would start 20 games in his NFL career, throwing 15 touchdowns against 26 interceptions.