Will Wade is on the move again after just one year at NC State, and he is headed to a familiar destination. The 43-year-old is returning to LSU, where he served as the head coach from 2017-22, leading the Tigers to multiple NCAA Tournaments and compiling a 105-51 record, but also embroiling himself and the program in major controversy.
Wade was overheard discussing payments to players as part of an FBI wiretap investigation that rocked the college basketball world and was ultimately suspended and then fired amidst numerous recruiting violations. He did not coach during the 2022-23 season but returned to the game in 2023, sitting out his first 10 games as the head coach at McNeese in the Southland as a suspension – along with a two-year show cause penalty. Despite that, he was wildly successful with the Cowboys, winning back-to-back league titles and going to the Big Dance both seasons he was there. Last year’s team even upset 5-seed Clemson (Wade’s alma mater) in their first game to earn their first-ever NCAA Tournament win.
He left McNeese this time last year to take over at NC State, leading the Wolfpack to the NCAA First Four in what will be his only season in Raleigh. Rumors have been circling the past week or two that a move back to LSU was on the table, with several key pieces already in motion: McNeese President Dr. Wade Rousse was hired as LSU’s President in November, and earlier today, McNeese AD Heath Schroyer – a former coach who threw Wade a lifeline three years ago – was hired as Senior Deputy AD for the Tigers. Wade’s hiring seemed an inevitable conclusion to this trilogy, regardless of the rough wake left behind at NC State.
“We are excited to welcome Will back home as the next head coach of the LSU Men’s Basketball program,” said LSU AD Verge Ausberry. “As LSU fans know well, Will is a consistent winner, a diligent program-builder, and a charismatic leader with an incredible ability to connect with his student-athletes and the fan base. Not only does he bring his postseason pedigree and an energetic presence, but he is innovative and strategic at a time in college athletics that requires both. We are thrilled to have Will and his family with us in Baton Rouge again.”
This is the second major (and EXPENSIVE) coaching move for Ausberry and LSU over the last couple months, with the school firing head football coach Brian Kelly and eventually throwing a ton of money at Lane Kiffin to lure him away from SEC foe Ole Miss. Kelly walked away with over $50 million in buyouts, and now former head men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon joins him. McMahon struggled over four seasons with the Tigers, never reaching the NCAA Tournament and winning just 17 total SEC games (9 of which came during the 2023-24 season). Despite that, his contract made firing him expensive – roughly 80% of his remaining salary, which equates to around $8 million. Only in college sports do we see a school paying two men over $60 million to NOT work for them anymore.
“This was not an easy decision, because of how much respect and appreciation I have for NC State, but the opportunity to return to Louisiana State University is deeply personal,” Wade said in the release. “This is our chance to come home — to a place that has shaped me, where the passion for basketball runs deep, and where the expectations match the opportunity. LSU represents something bigger — it’s about competing at the highest level in the best conference in the country, in front of one of the most passionate fan bases in college basketball. The resources, the commitment, and the alignment at LSU makes it a place where we can build something special and sustainable. I’m incredibly excited about the challenge ahead — about developing young men, competing for championships, and representing the state of Louisiana with pride. There’s a standard at LSU, and I’m energized to embrace it fully. I can’t wait to get home and get to work.”
The bottom line is that the things Wade was once fired over are now able to be done out in the open, completely within the rules and regulations of college sports. LSU can pay players just like everyone else, and schools are now forced to properly fund their athletic programs to compete for better players and ultimately more success on the field of play.
Wade has shown an aptitude for recruiting under these circumstances in the past and it is clear that LSU is stepping up to the plate financially to ensure that its marquee athletic programs are back to competing at the highest level. The LSU women’s basketball team is already among the best in the country, winning a national title in 2023 and reaching two-straight Elite Eights in the years since (this year’s squad can make it three-straight with a win over Duke on Friday).
credit to LSU Athletics for the image