Add one more familiar face to Chuck Martin's inaugural roster at Miami (Ohio). Former Notre Dame cornerback Lo Wood will play his fifth season with the RedHawks, his father, Lo Wood Sr., told ESPN.com on Thursday morning.
"Lo feels very comfortable with Coach Martin," Wood Sr. said. "He gave Lo his first chance to get on the field as a defensive back as a freshman at Notre Dame."
Wood joins former Irish quarterback Andrew Hendrix and tight end Alex Welch in moving to Oxford, Ohio, to join Martin, who accepted the RedHawks' head-coaching job on Dec. 3 after four years as a Fighting Irish assistant.
Martin coached Notre Dame's safeties for two seasons before becoming the program's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2012. The former position helped him connect with Wood, a cornerback who saw playing time immediately as a freshman in 2010.
The 5-foot-11, 194-pound Wood was on track to become one of the Irish's starting corners in 2012 before tearing his left Achilles during a preseason practice, costing him his junior season. Then-true freshman KeiVarae Russell took over and never looked back, starting every game the last two seasons as Wood saw mostly reserve action.
Wood, an Apopka, Fla., native, finishes his Irish career with 31 career tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one pick-six, which he recorded in the third quarter of a 45-21 win over Maryland on Nov. 12, 2011.
"Coach Martin said he would love the opportunity for Lo to get back into his man-to-man speciality," Wood Sr. said.
