Florida A&M baseball’s hometown star is looking to play elsewhere next season.
On Saturday, May 30, Tallahassee native Jay Campbell announced that he’s entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, which opens June 1 and closes on June 30.
In his first two years of college out of Leon High School, the sophomore third baseman helped the Rattlers reach the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship games, falling to Bethune-Cookman in 2025 and then to Alabama State this May.
This season, Campbell led FAMU with 65 hits, 54 runs, and four triples. He had a .330 batting average, 51 runs batted in, and 12 doubles. Defensively, Campbell had a .923 fielding percentage.
The day-one starter at third base and reliable hitter also pitched nine innings for FAMU during his 2026 campaign.
Campbell earned All-SWAC First Team honors as a freshman in 2025 and made the second team in 2026. The SWAC also named Campbell to its 2026 All-Tournament Team.
Additionally, Campbell has national recognition.
He won the third-annual HBCU Swingman Classic’s Most Valuable Player in July 2025 during Major League Baseball’s All-Star Weekend in Atlanta, the first Rattler to do so. He hit the game’s lone home run to spark a 7-4 comeback for the National League over the American League.
Campbell has two years of eligibility remaining.
He’s the fourth Rattler to hit the transfer portal since the season’s end, joining Justin Lopez, Jackson McKenzie, and Matthew Perez.
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Jay Campbell, FAMU baseball’s hits leader, enters NCAA Transfer Portal
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
