In the never-ending SEC coaching carousel, Jabbar Juluke, who has helped shape some of the most efficient rushing attacks the Gators have seen in a decade, has now become the talk of the town. One minute, he is part of Jon Sumrall in Gainesville, the next, he is not retained by the Gators, and now he’s suddenly a top target for a conference rival.

In a recent X post, Matt Zentiz reported, “Former Florida running backs coach Jabbar Juluke is a target for the running backs coach job at Kentucky, sources tell @CBSSports. Was Florida’s running backs coach and associate head coach the last four years.”

This move adds a little SEC flair because Sumrall, who left Tulane to take over at Florida only weeks ago, just forced Juluke out. According to Pete Nakos of On3, Florida is not keeping Juluke, terminating his four-year tenure as deputy head coach and running backs coach.

“I don’t hire staff who are my buddies,” Sumrall told Florida staff. “I hire a staff based upon what is the absolute best group of people we can put together to serve and develop our players and win championships at that place.”

Juluke led Montrell Johnson’s rise to a 3,000-yard career, helped Jadan Baugh become one of the SEC’s most explosive young backs, and created several seasons in which Florida’s ground attack was among the most effective in the conference. Juluke’s developing skills were seen even by Baugh’s incredible 1,170-yard season in 2025, capped off with a record-breaking 266-yard day against Florida State.

Long before this Kentucky twist, Juluke’s name was already making headlines in SEC circles, mostly due to the wild pregame incident earlier this year in week 3 that ended in his three-game suspension when he stepped in the Florida–LSU clash.

“I, first, would like to apologize to both Florida and LSU universities, their teams, staff and fans. I also sincerely apologize to the young athlete and his family. On Saturday, I reacted in a manner I’m not proud of. There’s no excuse for my behavior and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Juluke wrote in a statement upon learning of his suspension.

The worst part is that, according to reports, he would have been the interim head coach this season if it weren’t for that incident. Instead, Billy Gonzales stepped into the role, only for Jon Sumrall to move on from him on Monday. And they’re not leaving alone. OL Coach Rob Sale is also out, and he’s likely headed to James Madison. And those shockwaves rolled straight into the roster.

Florida’s coaching reset triggers the locker room

The moment Billy Gonzales and Jabbar Juluke were let go, you could really feel the impact in Gainesville. Two big offensive voices released back-to-back? Of course, the locker room would respond, and the first aftershock struck quickly. Florida’s freshman wideout Muizz Tounkara, a 3-star jumped into the transfer portal in a matter of hours. He was gone after just one season, eight games, and two receptions.

Although Tounkara’s stats weren’t very impressive, his profile was. He was the kind of young WR that Florida thought would be a threat to opponents by Year 2 or 3. He was a 6-foot-3 athlete from Texas with a multi-sport resume and over 30 scholarship offers after high school. He had shown promise on both offense and special teams.

And that’s where the Juluke impact hits hard. He was a recruiter with deep roots and real pull. He helped land QB DJ Lagway, landed Trevor Etienne, and even helped in Grant Delpit’s progress at LSU in the past. Along with four-star backs like Duke Clark, Byron Louis, and KD Daniels, he had an excellent record at Florida with Jadan Baugh, who recently earned the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2015 with an insane 266-yard burst against FSU. And now with him gone, every running back on the team feels a little more poachable.

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