Eric Mele joined the South Florida football staff in January of 2026 as assistant special teams coach on Brian Hartline’s first Bulls staff. Mele has over two decades of collegiate coaching experience.
Mele came to USF after a season with James Madison (2025) serving as the assistant special teams coach. JMU went 12-2 and won the Sun Belt Conference with an 8-0 record as they earned a berth in the College Football Playoff as the No. 12 seed. JMU finished the year ranked fourth in blocked kicks (4) and blocked punts (3). The Dukes returned a kickoff for a touchdown and had three successful fake punts. Kicker Morgan Suarez was 14-for-19 on field goal attempts and 65-for-65 on point-after attempts (107 points) as he scored the seventh-most points in JMU season history. Kickoff specialist Cristiano Rosa set school record for touchbacks with 114 in two seasons (62 in 2025).
He spent a season as special teams assistant at North Carolina (2024), helping transform the special teams unit to earn a No. 8 ranking by Pro Football Focus after ranking No. 116 just a season before. Under his tutelage, the Tar Heels ranked 10th nationally in kick return average (26.61) and 14th in punt return average (14.38). UNC’s special teams units produced five special teams touchdowns, with two each coming on kick return and punt return while another occurred via a blocked punt.
Prior to his year in Chapel Hill, Mele spent four seasons on the staff at Mississippi State (2020-23) with his final two seasons as special teams coordinator after coaching the running backs during his first two years.
In his first season leading MSU’s special teams unit, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 by PFF, No. 4 by Football Outsiders and No. 12 by ESPN. The Bulldogs led the country in kick return average (27.73), led by All-American Tulu Griffin, who averaged 32.3 yards per return with a touchdown. On punt return, Mississippi State was 27th (10.14), highlighted by Freshman All-American Zavion Thomas’ 13.5 yards per attempt with a score. MSU also blocked one kick in 2022.
During the 2023 season, MSU ranked in the top 20 in both kick return and punt return. The Bulldogs were 16th on kick return (23.91) and 20th on punt return (11.81), scoring a touchdown in both categories. MSU also blocked one punt for a touchdown to finish with five special teams touchdowns in his two years leading the unit.
In two seasons coaching the MSU running backs, Mele mentored two of the SEC’s top receiving backs in Jo’Quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson, who led the conference in receptions and receiving yards by running backs in 2021. Marks led the way with 83 catches for 502 yards while Johnson added 65 for 422 yards. The season prior, Marks tied for the nation’s lead among freshmen with 60 receptions, which was fourth in the SEC by all players. That mark set MSU single-season records in receptions by a freshman and running backs until he broke the later the next season.
Mele followed legendary head coach Mike Leach to MSU from Washington State where he spent nine seasons (2012-19) on the Wazzu staff. Mele began as offensive quality control coach and later served in the special teams role before coaching running back his last two seasons.
His 2019 running backs unit featured Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 selection Max Borghi, who led the team and ranked third in the league in total yards from scrimmage (1,414). His 16 touchdowns were second in the conference, while his 86 receptions led the nation among running backs.
The year prior, his running backs combined to lead the Pac-12 with 145 receptions and ranked second in total touchdowns, with 28. James Williams, an Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 pick, led all FBS running backs with 83 catches, and Borghi scored 12 total touchdowns, tying the WSU single-season record for scores by a rookie.
Before coaching the backs, Mele was special teams coordinator from 2015-17. He was promoted to the full-time special teams role in February 2015 after serving the role on an interim basis for the final two months of the 2014 season.
Mele mentored Lou Groza Award semifinalist and Second Team All-Pac-12 kicker Erik Powell in 2017, as he finished his career ranking third on Wazzu’s all-time points list by a kicker (317). He finished his time at WSU with a school-record 164 PATs and was third with both 51 made field goals and a 72.9% field goal percentage. Washington State’s special teams produced the sixth-best punt coverage numbers in the FBS and didn’t allow a special teams touchdown for the first time since 2005.
In 2016, Wazzu’s special teams units had its first kick return for a score since 2003 and first punt return for a touchdown since 2005. It was also the first time the Cougars scored on both since 1968. The team had a pair of special teams scores in the same game, returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown and later recovering a fumble on a kickoff for a score. In league play, WSU led the way with 18.8 yards per punt return and was second with 23.0 yards per kick return. The punt-return unit was ninth for the year in the FBS, at 13.5 per return.
Over his first two and a half seasons, Mele was offensive quality control coach, working with film breakdown and assisting with quarterback development.
Before joining Leach’s staff in Pullman, Mele spent five seasons as special teams coordinator and running backs coach at Wingate (2007-11). During his time at Wingate, Mele helped guide the Bulldogs to a 36-19 record highlighted by their second appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2010.
Prior to Wingate, Mele spent the one season as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Saint Peter’s College (N.J.) (2006). In his lone season, the school finished eighth in the FCS in completions (242).
His lone season outside of college coaching came in 2005 when he was co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator at Marist High School in New Jersey. Also coaching defensive backs, he helped the program to its first playoff berth in a dozen years.
Mele also worked two seasons as the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at William Paterson University (2003-04).
Mele was a three-year starter at strong safety and outside linebacker at William Paterson, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice in 2002. He earned his master’s degree in sports management (coaching theory and strategy) from the American Military University in 2007.
He and his wife, Melissa, have four daughters – Samantha, Jordan, Taylor and Madison.
COACHING CAREER
2026- South Florida (Assistant Special Teams Coach)
2025 James Madison (Assistant Special Teams Coach)
2024 North Carolina (Special Teams Assistant)
2022-23 Mississippi State (Special Teams Coordinator)
2020-21 Mississippi State (Running Backs Coach)
2018-19 Washington State (Running Backs Coach)
2015-17 Washington State (Special Teams Coordinator)
2012-14 Washington State (Offensive Quality Control Coach)
2007-11 Wingate University (Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs Coach)
2006 Saint Peter’s College (Wide Receivers Coach/Passing Game Coordinator)
2005 Marist High School (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Special Teams Coordinator)
2003-04 William Paterson University (Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach)
