Eric Mele enters his fifth full season as a Cougar assistant coach, and second year working with running backs after spending the previous three seasons as the special teams coordinator. He was promoted to the full-time special teams coach in February, 2015, after serving in the same role on an interim basis the final two months of the 2014 campaign.
Mele spent the previous two and a half seasons in an offensive quality control position, working with film breakdown and assisting with the development of quarterbacks.
Last season, Mele coached the running backs that featured a couple dynamic playmakers in All-Pac-12 honorable mention James Williams and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honorable mention Max Borghi. Mele guided the Cougar running backs who combined to lead all Pac-12 running back groups with 145 receptions and tallied the second-most total touchdowns (28). Williams led all running backs nationally with 83 catches and Borghi scored 12 total touchdowns, tying the WSU single-season record for total touchdowns by a freshman.
In 2017, Mele mentored All-Pac-12 Second Team kicker Erik Powell, who concluded his Cougar career third on the school’s all-time points kicking list. Powell earned Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week three times during the season and was also a Lou Groza Award semifinalist. Powell finished his career with a school record 164 career PAT and third in WSU history for field goals made and field goal percentage. Under Mele, the Cougar special teams produced the sixth-ranked punt coverage team in the country and didn't allow a special teams touchdown for the the first time since 2005.
In 2016 the Cougars produced some impressive special teams numbers while reaching a couple milestones. WSU recorded its first kick return for touchdown since 2003 and its first punt return for a touchdown since 2005, the first time to record both in the same season since 1968. As a result of the returns, both Robert Taylor (kickoff) and Kaleb Fossum (punt) earned Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Earlier in the season, the Cougars scored twice on special teams in the win over Idaho, returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown and later scoring after recovering a fumble during a kickoff. In Pac-12 play, Washington State was the top-ranked punt return team (18.8 yards-per-return) and was second in kick return (23.0 yards-per-return). The punt return unit finished ninth in the country after averaging 13.5 yards-per-return.
In 2015 the Cougar special teams showed improvement from 2014 in many statistical categories, including kickoff coverage, kickoff return, punt return and punt return defense. Freshman kick returner Tavares Martin, Jr. was eighth in the Pac-12 in kickoff returns at 22.1 ypr while kicker Erik Powell made 20 field goals, fourth-most in WSU history.
Prior to Washington State, Mele spent five seasons as the special teams coordinator/running backs coach at Wingate University. In his time at Wingate, Mele helped guide the Bulldogs to a 36-19 record highlighted by a second-appearance in the 2010 NCAA Division II playoffs.
Prior to his time at Wingate, Mele spent the 2006 season as the wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator at Saint Peter’s College (N.J.) where they finished eighth in the FCS in completions. He worked the 2005 season as the co-defensive coordinator/special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Marist High School (N.J.), helping them to their first playoff berth in 12 seasons. Mele also worked two seasons as the special teams coordinator/defensive backs coach at William Paterson University (N.J.).
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 from the American Military University in 2007.
Mele and his wife, Melissa, have four daughters, Samantha, Jordan, Taylor and Madison.
