Former Gators RB Coach Jabbar Juluke Close to Landing SEC Gig

Jabbar Juluke was not retained by new Florida Gators head coach Jabbar Juluke.

Former Florida Gators associate head coach for running backs Jabbar Juluke was not retained by Jon Sumrall. | Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Less than 24 hours after it was announced that he would not be retained under new head coach Jon Sumrall, former Florida Gators running backs coach Jabbar Juluke is reportedly close to landing his next gig.

Juluke is the primary target for the same job at Kentucky, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.

Juluke, who spent four years with the Gators, was one of former head coach Billy Napier’s first staff hires when he was announced as Florida’s new head coach. He had spent four years at Louisiana with Napier, while having stops at LSU and Texas Tech Beforehand.

“Jabbar and I met when I was a graduate assistant at Clemson. He was a high school coach in New Orleans. Stayed in touch. We were very fortunate to get him to come to Louisiana from Texas Tech," Napier said on Juluke at the beginning of the 2025 season. “Jabbar has impressed me…what I would say about Jabbar is he is a unique ability to get the most out of people. You know, I think he has not only produced on the field, but has consistently produced a really good culture in that room, the way those guys respect each other, the selflessness.”

Jabbar Juluke is expected to stay in-conference to coach at Kentucky. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

With the Gators, Juluke’s running back room consistently held a bevy of talented rushers, including multiple that would go on to earn chances in the NFL, headlined by now Carolina Panther Trevor Etienne and former Philadelphia Eagle Montrell Johnson. As of recently, he was an important factor in acquiring and developing Florida phenom Jadan Baugh, who finished the year as the first Gators underclassman since Emmitt Smith to rush for over 1,000 yards.

“Coach Juluke and the players that was in the room, honestly,” Baugh said when asked about the biggest selling point for Florida in his recruitment. “Coach Juluke, you know, he's a great guy, and he's definitely not just going to be a coach. He's going to be, you know, off the field, like an uncle. I think of him as an uncle. He's not just, you know, teaching me about, you know, football. He's teaching about life and how to become a better person.”

Though Juluke’s unit was never something to worry about, an incident before Florida’s matchup against LSU this season resulted in him being suspended for three games. He returned from suspension against Mississippi State and remained with the program for the rest of the season.

“Individuals make mistakes. The good thing, I think, is how you approach the mistake, taking ownership of it,” Napier said about the incident. “I think it's important that, you know, you learn and you provide an example so others can learn from it. So, yeah, I think we've addressed those and we've moved on from them.”

Now at Kentucky, Juluke will join a new staff headlined by former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein. He will take over a Wildcats rushing attack that was PFF’s 13th highest graded unit of 16 SEC programs and averaged just 3.7 yards per rush.

The Gators are scheduled to face off against Kentucky in Gainesville next year, now becoming a matchup against their former coach.