The scene in Baton Rouge was downright ugly. Before LSU bullied DJ Lagway by making him throw 5 picks, there were some other scuffles early. By the time the smoke cleared, one of Billy Napier’s top lieutenants was in hot water. Associate head coach and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke, a Louisiana native who’s been in Gainesville since 2022, is now facing a three-game suspension that’s raising eyebrows across the SEC. And it all stems from a pregame altercation that never should’ve gotten that far. Safe to say that Billy Napier caught two Ls in one day in Death Valley.

Before kickoff, tempers flared, and both teams got into a heated back-and-forth. Officials threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. On further review after the game was over, Juluke’s conduct was brought under scrutiny. Juluke is now hit with a three-game suspension, meaning he’ll miss some huge matchups like No.4 ranked Miami, No.8 ranked Texas, and No.10 ranked Texas A&M.

Juluke carries the “associate head coach” tag. That makes him Napier’s right-hand man, a leader tasked with calming storms, not adding gasoline. Instead, Commissioner Greg Sankey made it clear: Juluke crossed the line. Coaches are supposed to de-escalate. He did the opposite. So, while Florida tries to regroup after losing back-to-back games and prepping for the diabolical gauntlet ahead, one of their most trusted voices on the sideline will be watching from the couch. His absence comes at the worst possible time because the next 3 weeks could make or break the Gators’ season and Billy Napier’s career.

SEC Commissioner’s Statement & Juluke’s apology

When the SEC office released its statement, the language wasn’t exactly soft. Greg Sankey flat-out said Juluke’s behavior was “unacceptable” and didn’t line up with what the league expects. He stressed that coaches have to be the cooler heads when emotions boil over.

“Jabbar Juluke’s conduct during the pregame altercation reflects behavior that is unacceptable and not aligned with the standards of the Southeastern Conference,” Sankey said. “Coaches are expected to be leaders and to de-escalate tense situations, and that did not happen in this circumstance.” Sankey even went further, warning that any future slip-ups by Juluke will be met with harsher penalties. That’s commissioner-speak for “don’t test us again.” For a coach who’s built a reputation as a recruiter and mentor, the hit to credibility may sting just as much as the suspension itself.

Juluke straight-up owned his mistake. The LSU RB coach apologized to both Florida and LSU, the athletes, their families, and admitted he let the heat of the moment get the better of him. “On Saturday, I reacted in a manner I’m not proud of,” he said. “There’s no excuse for my behavior and I take full responsibility for my actions.”

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin backed Juluke but kept it real: standards are standards. “Jabbar has consistently been an upstanding member of our staff, and I commend him for accepting responsibility in this situation,” Stricklin said. “We will continue to support him as he works to meet the high standards we set for our program.” For context, Juluke’s no stranger to SEC sidelines or elite coaching reputations.

Jabbar Juluke: A deep dive

Coach Juluke was born and raised in New Orleans. He played strong safety at Southern University, then dove headfirst into coaching right after. He put in work at places like O.P. Walker and Frederick Douglass, coaching DBs and linebackers. Then came Edna Karr High School. He ran that program like a general, stacking district titles and even bagging a state chip in 2012. That’s where folks started noticing him.

College ball came calling not long after, and Juluke rolled into Louisiana Tech as a running backs coach. And if you are not familiar with Kenneth Dixon, go look up the tape. Juluke helped mold him into a straight-up touchdown machine. He had that offense rolling. Then a short stop at LSU, and another quick one at Texas Tech, before landing a real groove at Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. He even snagged RB Coach of the Year in 2019.

Now he’s at Florida, rolling with the Gators as Associate Head Coach and RB guru. Since 2022, he’s been building up that backfield like it’s his personal art project. Florida liked him so much, they threw him a 2-year contract extension back in January. He was nominated for the Broyles Award too. That’s only for the top dogs in assistant coaching.

End of the day, the timing couldn’t be worse. It was low-key heat of the moment thing, and sadly Florida’s about to run a gauntlet of top 10 ranked opponents without one of its most vocal sideline leaders. Juluke’s suspension won’t just test his ability to bounce back, it’ll test Napier’s program’s ability to keep itself alive when the pressure cranks up.