Former Baseball Player Joins State Football Program

Fayetteville's Andrew Jayne played two seasons in the Baltimore Orioles organization before returning to the gridiron as a preferred walkon

Andrew Jayne chose baseball over football following his career at Fayetteville's Terry Sanford High School in 2018.

But after two seasons on the diamond as an outfielder in the Baltimore Orioles organization, in which he hit just .145 with 57 strikeouts in 52 games over two seasons of rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League, the former 19th-round draft pick has decided to give football a try.

Jayne has joined the program at NC State as a preferred walkon. He is listed on the Wolfpack's roster as a freshman tight end/wide receiver.

Tall and rangy at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Jayne caught 147 passes for 2,263 yards and 26 touchdowns during his three seasons at Terry Sanford. According to Sammy Batten of the Fayetteville Observer, he was recruited by tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Todd Goebbel.

“We knew there would be a ton of football programs happy to have him,″ Jayne's high school coach Bruce McClelland told Batten. “He really has receiver skills. The thing coach Goebbel asked was, ‘Can he put on weight?’ We said he can put on 25 pounds easily. 

"So they’re really excited to get wide-out skills in an athlete who is able to play tight end. The way they flex guys out and the thing they do with the tight it is a natural fit for him there.″

Jayne's twin brother Christian is a sophomore baseball player at East Carolina.