Texas Longhorns Could Be on the Verge of Making a Major Coaching Decision

The Texas Longhorns may be on the verge of making a big decision for their coaching staff.

Just days earlier, the Longhorns made a difficult choice by firing running backs coach Chad Scott after just one season in Austin.

Shortly thereafter, a list of contenders for the vacant position began to emerge, including former Florida running backs coach Jabbar Juluke, Oregon’s Ra’Shad Samples and LSU’s Frank Wilson.

Now, it appears that he has taken his first step towards deciding on the job.

According to reports from Inside Texas’ Eric Nahlin and Justin Wells, the Longhorns have indeed interviewed Juluk for the position, but it is not yet known whether he has been offered the job.

“Longtime SEC assistant coach Jabbar Juluke interviewed Thursday for the Texas Longhorns’ vacant running backs coach position, agent-world sources told me and Justin Wells,” Nahlin said in his report. “This was the first interview conducted by Steve Sarkisian as part of the process to replace Chad Scott… It is not known whether Juluke has been offered the job.”

Is Jabbar Juluke the favourite?

Juluke, who was not retained by new head coach Justin Sumrall as part of Florida’s new coaching staff, has been considered by many to be the favorite for the position since the beginning of the process.

And for good reason.

Not only has Juluk worked with some of the most successful running backs in recent memory, including LSU legend Leonard Fournette, who rushed for 843 yards on 129 attempts, averaged 6.5 yards per carry, and scored eight touchdowns in just seven games. He also coached Derrius Guice to a stellar year in Baton Rouge that season, with the then-second-year freshman rushing for over 1,300 yards and 15 scores after Fournette suffered an injury.

Juluke has also coached other future NFL talent, including Elijah Mitchell at Louisiana, who rushed for 3,010 yards on 485 carries in three seasons, an average of 6.2 yards per rush. In fact, in his second season with the Ragin’ Cajuns, he set program records in 2019, finishing sixth in the country with 3,604 yards rushing and 42 touchdowns at 6.28 yards per carry.

Most recently, he was instructing Florida’s star running back Jadan Baugh, who was brought to Gainesville because of Juluke’s late push that resulted in a rebound from Arkansas.

The Longhorns got their first look at what Baugh could do during the regular season, as he shredded their defense in Florida’s 29–21 win over Texas, finishing with 27 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown as well as three catches for 16 yards.