Florida Gators’ assistant football coach Jabbar Juluke was suspended for three games on Tuesday following a pregame altercation ahead of LSU defeating the Gators, 20-10.
During Saturday’s pregame warmups at Tiger Stadium, multiple scuffles took place on the field after words were exchanged between the two teams. The SEC and Florida’s program jointly announced the suspension of the running backs coach, who is also the associate head coach under Billy Napier.
Juluke will now miss the Gators’ upcoming games against No. 4 Miami, No. 8 Texas, and No. 10 Texas A&M.
Billy Napier Comments on How Florida Is Handling Jabbar Juluke’s Suspension
Juluke issued an apology, saying he reacted “in a manner I’m not proud of.” It’s unclear what exactly happened to result in Juluke’s suspension, but his apology mentioned “behavior” toward a “young athlete,” presumably on the LSU side.
“I, first, would like to apologize to both Florida and LSU universities, their teams, staff and fans,” Juluke said on his involvement in the altercation, according to CBS Sports.
“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.”
Juluke is in the midst of his fourth season at Florida. The former Tyler Junior College and Southern University player had stints at Louisiana Tech, LSU, and Texas Tech before joining Napier’s staff in Lafayette ahead of the 2018 season.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said Juluke’s behavior against the Tigers was unacceptable.
“Jabbar Juluke’s conduct during the pregame altercation reflects behavior that is unacceptable and not aligned with the standards of the Southeastern Conference,” Sankey previously said in a statement.
“Coaches are expected to be leaders and to de-escalate tense situations, and that did not happen in this circumstance. This suspension is appropriate, and any future misconduct by Jabbar Juluke will result in more severe disciplinary action.”
As the Gators (1-2) prepare to take on Miami in Week 4 of college football, Florida faces the upcoming challenge of senior Hurricane quarterback Carson Beck, who currently boasts a 79.3 completion percentage on the year so far.
Napier said while Florida’s program has a lot going on, they are looking to focus on preparing for Beck.
“When he’s on top of his game he’s as good as anybody. It will be one of the challenges of the game, trying to affect him, disrupt his rhythm, make it hard,” Napier said of Beck.
On Carson Beck, Billy Napier said: “When he’s on top of his game he’s as good as anybody. It will be one of the challenges of the game, trying to affect him, disrupt his rhythm, make it hard.” https://t.co/haMLyldAni
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) September 17, 2025
Beck previously played for Georgia from 2021-2024 and has thrown for 65 touchdowns in addition to six rushing scores in his career so far.
Napier said Juluke’s future game day responsibilities against Miami and the other two teams will be shared amongst the rest of the coaching staff.
“[We will] absorb (Juluke’s) game day responsibilities amongst the staff.”
#Gators HC Billy Napier said they will “absorb (Juluke’s) game day responsibilities amongst the staff.”
Jabbar Juluke is suspended for 3 games for his role in one of the pregame altercations at Florida-LSU
— Cam Parker (@camparker25) September 17, 2025
Florida takes on the Hurricanes (3-0) at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday; kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.
