Four UAPB receivers now in transfer portal

The transfer portal is open, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff may soon need it to find a new batch of wide receivers.

At least four UAPB receivers are now in the portal. JaVonnie Gibson was the first to make clear his intentions, but Aramoni Rhone, Donovan Giles and Derrick White have all since announced they will transfer.

Rhone, who announced Friday he is transferring, was UAPB’s second-leading receiver behind Gibson. He caught 19 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He has two years of eligibility remaining, according to his post on X, formerly Twitter.

Giles posted he has three years left. He caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown this season.

White played in seven games this year, catching five passes for 33 yards. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

These departures, along with senior Daemon Dawkins exhausting his eligibility, mean UAPB is losing its top three receivers from this past season and four of its top six.

Kristian Gammage, who transferred to UAPB from Arkansas-Monticello alongside Gibson, is the leading receiver currently set to return next year as of Friday. He posted a highlight video Thursday with the caption “Year 3 Coming Back Harder Next Season…”

Gammage appeared in eight games, catching 16 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team in kickoff returns with 10 for 192 yards.

Three of the four UAPB receivers in the portal just arrived on campus last year. Gibson transferred from UAM, Rhone from Ohio and Giles from Florida Atlantic. White signed with UAPB out of high school and has been a Golden Lion for three seasons, catching nine passes for 113 yards in 18 games.

The transfer portal has made it easier for players to transfer multiple times in their careers. Running back OJ Ross is another player who is leaving UAPB after transferring to the campus last year. Former UAPB offensive lineman Calvin Lester III, who transferred to Mississippi Valley State last spring, has also reentered the portal.