Jabbar Juluke has followed head coach Billy Napier from Louisiana and joined the Gators’ staff as the running backs coach and associate head coach. He coached running backs for Napier at Louisiana from 2018-21.
Juluke looks like a potential home run hire. His running backs at Louisiana produced at an extremely high level and entered their names in the school’s record book.
In both 2018 and 2019, they had three running backs selected to all-conference teams, which is extremely difficult to do given the limited number of carries there are to go around.
The 2019 team broke the program records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in a season and ranked sixth in the FBS in yards per game.
In 2020, Elijah Mitchell was named First Team All-Sun Belt after rushing for 878 yards and eight touchdowns. He finished his career fifth in school history in rushing touchdowns and sixth in yards. Meanwhile, Trey Ragas ran for 758 yards and 10 scores to collect Second Team All-Sun Belt honors. He ranks third all-time in yards and sixth in rushing touchdowns in school history.
Mitchell was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, while Ragas graduated.
That sounds like a ton of production to replace, right?
Well, all the Ragin’ Cajuns did this season was field one of the most productive running back groups in the country.
Chris Smith ranks fourth in the league with 834 yards and has scored eight touchdowns. Montrell Johnson has gained 776 yards and scored 11 times on the ground en route to being named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Emani Bailey has amassed a respectable 431 yards and five touchdowns as their third option.
But Juluke isn’t one of those young up-and-comers who only knows how to be successful at Group of Five schools. Prior to joining Napier’s Louisiana staff, he spent a year at LSU, where he coached Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice, who were eventually drafted in the first round and second round, respectively.
Prior to working for LSU, he coached Kenneth Dixon at Louisiana Tech from 2013-15. Dixon holds the school records for rushing yards and touchdowns in a career. He also is the NCAA’s all-time leader among running backs in total touchdowns (87), points scored (522) and games played with at least one touchdown (38). He was drafted in the fourth round.
Juluke played safety at Southern and helped lead his team to an 11-1 record in 1993. He coached high school football in Louisiana for 18 years prior to jumping up to the college ranks in 2013.
His SEC experience, track record of fielding terrific running back corps and his relationships with high school coaches in the New Orleans area should make him a good fit at Florida.