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Billy Napier discusses Jabbar Juluke suspension, how his role will be filled

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi09/17/25ZachAbolverdi
Jabbar-Juluke-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators associate head coach Jabbar Juluke walks on the field against the Long Island Sharks during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators will be without running backs coach Jabbar Juluke for their next three games — all against top-10 teams. Juluke was suspended by the SEC and UF for his involvement in the pregame scuffle at LSU on Saturday.

Florida coach Billy Napier released a statement when the suspension was announced on Tuesday and discussed how the Gators will adjust without Juluke during his appearance on the SEC teleconference Wednesday.

Juluke will still coach his position in practice each week leading up to the game but won’t be with the team on Saturdays, starting this weekend at No. 4 Miami.

“Jabbar will be with us all the way up until we depart for the stadium, so we’ll absorb his gameday responsibilities amongst the staff,” Napier said Wednesday.

UF doesn’t have a quality control coach for the running backs on staff and Napier didn’t specify who would fill in directly for Juluke during games. He also declined to say what, specifically, led to the suspension when asked.

“Yeah, I was not on the field during the unit warmups,” Napier said. “So, in general, I think just misrepresentative of the league, of the university, of our organization as a whole. And Jabbar has taken ownership of that, as you would expect from Jabbar. He’s been first-class in terms of the way he’s handled it. And we’ve worked with the SEC office and the university administration to resolve it.

“He’ll serve his time here and the discipline that comes with making a tough decision, Jabbar’s got a body of work in his career. He made a mistake and I think the big thing here is that we’ve got to continue to grow and learn from things like this and be a good example to others. And he’s done that so far.”

In addition to Napier, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin released statements on Tuesday along with Juluke, whose apology made mention of a player from the LSU team.

“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. In this game, emotional situations occur and bad reactions happen. I regret my reaction and commit to using this moment to strengthen my emotional intelligence. I know more is expected of us as coaches, and I commit to living up to that expectation. I believe growth is in ownership and learning from the good and the bad. I intend to use this situation as a teachable moment, not only for myself, but for those I impact. Again, I offer my sincerest apologies to both institutions and the staffs and families involved.”

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