Eric Studesville (pronounced STOO-des-vill) joined the Miami Dolphins in 2018 and was named the team's associate head coach/running backs in 2022. He served as co-offensive coordinator/running backs in 2021 and spent the previous three seasons (2018-20) as running backs coach.
The 2024 season marks Studesville's 28th year in the NFL coaching ranks, including 24 at the running backs position. He has been on the coaching staffs of two conference championship teams (2013 and 2015) and won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos.
Studesville has helped his running backs earn four Pro Bowl selections – Marshawn Lynch (2008), Willis McGahee (2011), C.J. Anderson (2014) and Raheem Mostert (2023), as well one fullback, Alec Ingold (2023). He's also been the position coach for 11 1,000-yard rushing campaigns with McGahee (3), Tiki Barber (2), Lynch (2), Knowshon Moreno (1), Fred Jackson (1), Anderson (1) and Mostert (1).
Studesville helped the Dolphins post four consecutive winning seasons from 2020-23 for the first time since 1997-03. Miami earned two consecutive playoff berths in 2022-23, the first back-to-back trips to the postseason since 1997-2001.
In 2023, Miami's offense continued to make strides, finishing first in the league in total offense (401.3) for the first time since 1994, first in passing offense (265.5), sixth in rushing offense (135.8), second in scoring offense (29.2) and second in yards per play (6.5). It was the first time since 2009 (fourth) that Miami had a top six finish in rushing offense. Studesville's unit scored 27 rushing touchdowns in 2023, setting a new franchise record (26 in 1972 and 1975).
Studesville entered his second season coaching running back Raheem Mostert, who set franchise records for rushing touchdowns (18) and total touchdowns (21). Mostert's 18 rushing touchdowns in a season broke the record set by Rickey Williams in 2002 (16). His 21 total touchdowns were tied for first in the NFL (Christian McCaffrey) and broke another franchise record for most touchdowns in a season set by Mark Clayton (18 in 1984). Mostert was the first Dolphins player to be the sole league leader in rushing touchdowns since Mercury Morris in 1972. At 31 years old, he became the second-oldest player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
Studesville also mentored rookie running back De'Von Achane, who totaled 103 carries for 800 yards in 2023. His 7.8 yards per carry was the best single-season rushing average of any running back in NFL history (min. 100 carries). Achane totaled four 100-yard rushing games, tying Karim Abdul-Jabbar's franchise record for a rookie. Achane rushed for 100+ yards in three straight games (Week 3 vs. Denver, Week 4 at Buffalo and Week 5 vs. N.Y. Giants). His 203 rushing yards in Week 3 were the most by an NFL player in 2023.
Miami finished the 2022 season with a top 10 offense (sixth, 364.5 yards per game), something the franchise had not done since 1995. Studesville helped Mostert (891 rushing yards) and Jeff Wilson Jr. (860 rushing yards – 392 of which came with Miami) reach career highs as the Dolphins offense averaged 6.1 yards per play, the second-best mark in the league.
Under Studesville, the Dolphins saw their rushing attack improve as the 2021 season progressed. Running back Duke Johnson was signed midseason and Studesville was able to get him up to speed quickly. The Miami native posted the only two 100-yard rushing games of his seven-year career in his only two home starts at Hard Rock Stadium, averaging 112 rushing yards in those contests.
In 2020, Studesville helped mentor two young backs in Myles Gaskin (seventh round pick in 2019) and Salvon Ahmed (undrafted in 2020). Gaskin finished 10th in the NFL in scrimmage yards per game (97.2 ypg, min. 10 games) while Ahmed set a Dolphins undrafted rookie record with 122 rushing yards in a Week 15 win vs. New England.
In Studesville's first season in Miami in 2018, he drastically improved the team's running game. Studesville took the Dolphins from 24th in the NFL, averaging 3.86 yards per carry in 2017, to ninth in the statistic, averaging 4.68 yards per carry in 2018.
Prior to his time in Miami, Studesville spent eight seasons (2010-17) as Denver's running backs coach. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2017.
Studesville was part of the Broncos' Super Bowl 50 victory at the end of the 2015 season. The team averaged nearly 50 rushing yards per game more during the final seven weeks of the season than the first 10, ranking seventh in the league with 135.1 rushing yards in those final seven games.
In 2014, Studesville helped Anderson earn a Pro Bowl selection despite not making his first career start until Week 11. He became just the fifth undrafted running back in NFL history to earn a Pro Bowl selection.
The 2013 Broncos set the league's scoring record with 606 points. Studesville helped Moreno become the first player in Broncos history to post 1,000 yards rushing (1,038) and 500 yards receiving (548). Denver won the AFC Championship and participated in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Studesville's group in 2011 helped the Broncos lead the NFL in rushing, setting a team record with 164.5 rushing yards per game. McGahee tied for the NFL lead with seven 100-yard rushing games and totaled 1,199 rushing yards on the season.
The 2010 season was Studesville's first in Denver and he helped Moreno become the fifth player in team history to record 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his first two NFL seasons. He was named the team's interim head coach on Dec. 6, 2010 and served in that capacity for the final four games of the season, becoming the first Black head coach in Broncos history. He earned his first win as an NFL head coach on Dec. 26, 2010 vs. Houston.
From 2004-09, Studesville was the running backs coach for the Buffalo Bills. He added running game coordinator responsibilities in 2008. He coached a 1,000-yard rusher in five of his six seasons in Buffalo, including three straight years to end his tenure there.
Prior to Buffalo, Studesville was the running backs coach for the New York Giants and helped Barber rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
Studesville's first NFL stop was the Chicago Bears, where he began as an NFL minority coaching fellow during training camp in 1996. He spent four seasons (1997-2000) with the Bears as an offensive quality control coach.
Prior to his NFL coaching career, Studesville was a defensive assistant in the collegiate ranks. He was a secondary coach at Kent State (1995-96) and Wingate (1994). Studesville also spent time as a video assistant at North Carolina (1992-93) and a graduate assistant at Arizona (1991).
Studesville was a defensive back at Wisconsin-Whitewater and graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He earned his master's degree in exercise physiology at Arizona.
Studesville and his wife, Staci, have one daughter, Sydni, and a son, Eric Jr.
