Wood leaving Massillon to coach Miami receivers

After one year back at his high school alma mater, Alex Wood is leaving Massillon again to return to the college coaching ranks. Wood is expected to be named as the new wide receivers coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Wood, who was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach this past season, will be reunited with his former pupil in Massillon – Robert Partridge. Partridge signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play football at Miami.

Partridge mentioned Wood’s arrival on head coach Mike Haywood’s staff in passing while speaking prior to a signing-day ceremony at Washington High School on Wednesday. Neither Tiger head coach Jason Hall nor Wood could be reached for comment Wednesday night.

“Coach Wood is down there and is helping out a lot,” Partridge said Wednesday.

Miami hasn’t formally announced Wood’s hiring. He is not listed on Miami’s Web site under the coaches.

During Wood’s brief stay at Massillon, he helped develop Partridge into a Division I recruit who earned All-Ohio honors as a senior. Partridge finished his senior season by completing 173-of-327 passes for 2,631 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

As a team, Massillon averaged 333.4 yards per game, along with a 25.7 point-per-game average. The Tigers gained 142 yards a game on the ground, and another 191.4 yards per game through the air.

Wood returns to the college game, where he has spent a majority of his coaching career. Of the 31 years he’s been in coaching, all but eight have been spent on the college sidelines. He has had stops at the University of Iowa, Kent State, Southern Illinois, Wyoming, Washington State, Miami (Fla.), Wake Forest, James Madison (as a head coach) and Arkansas.

Wood has also now coached at both Miamis – the one in Florida and the one in Ohio. He coached the Hurricanes’ running backs from 1989-92, winning national championships in 1989 and 1991 under head coach Dennis Erickson.

He has also spent seven years as an assistant in the NFL. He was quarterbacks coach with the Vikings from 1999-2002, as well as receivers coach with the Bengals in 2003 and the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator in 2004-05.

Haywood is in his second year as the head coach of Miami after spending several years at Notre Dame. The RedHawks were 1-11 in Haywood’s first season, beating Toledo 34-32.