Former Orioles Outfielder Suddenly Retires To Play Division I Football
Less than a week after he was released by the Milwaukee Brewers‘ Triple-A affiliate, outfielder Jordyn Adams popped up in a new league - in a new sport.
According to his Instagram account, Adams is headed to Southern Methodist University to play football.
Adams was a highly regarded high school football recruit out of Cary, North Carolina when he was selected 17th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels. Now, he’s turning in his baseball cleats for a spot on the SMU roster.
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Adams, 26, is a husband, a father, and a veteran of parts of three MLB seasons. His ACC opponents are less likely to remember him from high school recruiting showcases than his 38 games with the Angels and Baltimore Orioles from 2023-25.
The Orioles designated Adams for assignment in June 2025, and allowed him to leave as a free agent after a brief stint in the big leagues last August. His quest to make it back wasn’t going well.
Adams signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers in February. But he did not receive an invitation to the Brewers’ major league spring training camp, and went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts in limited Cactus League action.
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In 15 Triple-A games, he was slashing .204/.264/.306 with 20 strikeouts in 49 at-bats. The Brewers released him from his minor league contract May 25.
A minor tweak to Adams’ Instagram profile (he listed @SMUFB in his bio) over the weekend made the internet rounds on June 1. While the eyes of the NCAA sporting world shifted to the College World Series in Omaha, Adams headed to Dallas to enroll in college, ostensibly for the first time.
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Adams went straight from Green Hope High School to the Angels’ Arizona League affiliate in the summer of 2018. By the following year, Adams was appearing on national Top 100 prospect lists.
Now, eight years after turning his back on his commitment to play wide receiver for the University of North Carolina, Adams is getting a second chance in football. The Mustangs open their 2026 season Sept. 7 at Florida State.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:36 AM.