After losing its wide receivers coach and several top receivers, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff spent the offseason reloading.
UAPB had to replace five of its top nine receivers, including the entire top three, after last season. The team’s fourth-leading receiver, Kristian Gammage, transitioned to defensive back in spring practice, leaving running back BJ Curry as the top returning receiver with 13 catches for 199 yards.
Tight end Jaxson Isaac is the only other returning player with over 100 receiving yards last year. He and fellow tight end Kevin English are the only Golden Lions returning to the offense who caught a touchdown pass in 2024.
There is a lot to replace in the wide receiver room, but the coaches were keen on redshirt junior Kareem Burke in the spring.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Offensive coordinator Tony Hull said following an April practice session Burke was one of the players who had impressed him the most.
“The light must have flipped for him, because he’s doing an amazing job this spring,” Hull said. “I’m really excited about the growth he’s made and the things that he’s doing, which has been really good for us.”
Burke caught eight passes for 91 yards last season after transferring from Florida A&M.
He didn’t score as a receiver but rushed for a touchdown.
He will be the top returning wide receiver after several defections last year, some of which may be related to former wide receivers coach Lawann Latson leaving for the same job at Alabama A&M.
UAPB responded by hiring Pierre Ingram to replace Latson and had four transfer receivers signed by February’s National Signing Day on top of five freshmen.
Pine Bluff native Jordan Jackson is the most proven of the newcomers. Last season, he was Arkansas Tech’s third-leading receiver as a sophomore with 25 catches for 383 yards and two touchdowns.
Another Division II transfer, Bryce Robinson from Livingstone College, caught three passes for 58 yards and a touchdown in 2024.
Junior college transfer Chris Hicks played in just two games last season with East Los Angeles College but caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
Perhaps the most intriguing transfer into UAPB at any position this year is former Maryland receiver Josh Richards. The former three-star recruit chose the Terrapins over at least two other Power Five schools but did not play during his two seasons in the Big Ten.
Three of the four caught passes in UAPB’s spring game. Hicks led all receivers with four catches for 63 yards. Richards caught three passes for 51 yards, and Robinson caught two for 42.
Burke led the returning receivers in the spring game with three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Redshirt freshman Kylon Dupree caught three passes for 32 yards.
Since the end of spring practice, UAPB has added a commitment from Delaware receiver Jalyn Witcher.
The Little Rock native caught five passes for 42 yards and a touchdown last season.
The crop of high school receivers UAPB signed includes two Louisiana state champions, Ellis Stewart and Bryant Sanchez.
From Arkansas, Stuttgart receiver De’Onte Clark caught 79 passes for 1,217 yards and 11 touchdowns last year, while Dumas product Raylen Spratt scored 18 touchdowns in his high school career.
First Team All-SWAC receiver JaVonnie Gibson, UAPB’s leading receiver last year, transferred to Oklahoma after catching 70 passes for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns, all team highs.
Gibson’s 70 catches were tied for the second most in a single season by a UAPB receiver and accounted for 38% of the team’s completions. He was also responsible for 46.1% of the team’s receiving yardage and 36.8% of the team’s receiving touchdowns.
His departure was compounded with Daemon Dawkins’ graduation and Aramoni Rhone’s transfer to UTEP.
Dawkins and Rhone were the only other receivers with multiple touchdowns last season, two apiece.