Former Phillies prospect Cord Sandberg to play quarterback at Auburn

Cord Sandberg will get his chance to play big-time college football five years after he turned down that opportunity to sign with the Phillies.

The former prospect retired from baseball earlier this month and announced Monday that he has accepted a scholarship to play quarterback at Auburn. He will join the Tigers' 2018 recruiting class, which makes him eligible to play this season unless he redshirts.

Sandberg also was courted by LSU and North Carolina State. Not bad for a 23-year-old who hasn't played football since 2013.

Sandberg was committed to Mississippi State when the Phillies drafted him in 2013's third-round. He was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals and the eighth-best dual-threat quarterback in the country. Sandberg was ranked higher than North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, now with the Chicago Bears,  and one spot behind Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, who is fighting for a spot on the New Orleans Saints.

The Phillies gave Sandberg a $775,000 bonus to leave football. He played six seasons in the minors as an outfielder, hitting .243 with a .646 OPS. The highest he reached was double A.