EJ Barthel won't be leaving the Nebraska football staff anytime soon. At least he won't be leaving it for the Texas Longhorns.
That the SEC school won't be Barthel's home in 2026 is welcome news following reports that he was on the list of candidates when Steve Sarkisian fired his running backs coach after one season in Austin. Barthel was on the list of candidates last summer when UT hired the aforementioned coach, and so there were some insiders who believed the second time might be the charm.
Instead of going with the Nebraska coach - one of the longest tenured on Matt Rhule's staff already - Texas announced Sarkisian hired Jabbar Juluke. In the process, they swooped in and snagged a coach who has plenty of SEC experience.
EJ Barthel is staying with the Nebraska football program
Juluke comes to Austin after spending the last four seasons as Florida's associate head coach/running backs coach. Before that, he served in similar roles at Louisiana (2018-21) and Texas Tech (2017), while also having mentored running backs at LSU (2016) and Louisiana Tech (2013-15). He spent the first 17 years of his career as a high school coach in the state of Louisiana.
Experts say the recruiting ties to Louisiana make Juluke an appealing hire for the Longhorns in combination with his proven recruiting ability — he recruited running back Trevor Ettienne out of his home state, but also served as a secondary recruiter for quarterback DJ Lagway and helped land Texas safety Grant Delpit during his season with the Tigers.
For Nebraska football fans, the Texas move doesn't have any direct impact, other than the Huskers get to keep their running backs coach after worrying he might be on the move.