Two of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s top three rushers this past season declared Thursday they will transfer.
Junior running back Jaylen Jennings and true freshman Bryant Sanchez each announced on social media they will enter the transfer portal, which opens Jan. 2.
Jennings was named First Team All-SWAC this season after rushing for 936 yards and 11 touchdowns, both good for second in the conference. His best performance was a 226-yard and four-touchdown day against Lincoln (Calif.)
In UAPB’s final two games this season, he rushed for 114 yards against Prairie View A&M and 133 against Alabama State, his best against SWAC competition.
Sanchez was UAPB’s third-leading rusher with 231 yards on 37 carries. He rushed for a season-high 80 yards against Westgate Christian. His 73 yards against Texas Southern were his best against a SWAC opponent.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
After the WCU game, Sanchez saw limited snaps at running back, carrying the ball four times across the Golden Lions’ final six games. Instead, he transitioned into a kick returner role. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown against WCU, his first game in that role. He finished as the team’s leading kickoff returner with 10 for 294 yards.
Losing Jennings and Sanchez is a big blow to a UAPB offense that is already losing its second-leading receiver, Kareem Burke, to the portal. However, Jennings and Sanchez’s performances came with preseason All-SWAC second team running back BJ Curry and backup Za’Marion Webber on the sidelines.
Curry suffered an injury before the season and did not appear in any games. Webber began the season as the starting running back before suffering a season-ending ACL tear against Lincoln. Neither has publicly stated their intentions for next season, but if both choose to return, it would greatly offset the losses of Jennings and Sanchez.
Thursday’s transfer losses bring UAPB’s total so far to 11.