Will Wade Accepts Strong-Ass Offer from NC State

It didn’t take long to write the Will Wade comeback story. Three years after he was fired by LSU, he’s returning to the power conference ranks at NC State.

Wade’s name has been connected to the Wolf Pack since the moment they let go of Kevin Keatts, just one year removed from the school’s improbable run to the Final Four. Pack Pride, 247’s NC State team site, first reported that Wade has reached an agreement to become the school’s next head coach.

The news broke just a few hours after the McNeese coach was surprisingly open about the coaching search. Typically, coaches ignore speculation and lie through their teeth. He took the opposite approach by being 100% transparent with reporters and his team, confirming he had been in contact with NC State.

“We addressed it head-on,” Wade said. “I talked to them Saturday about it. Here’s what it is, here is where we are. It was just me and our players and we all talked about it. I’m aware of what I have got going on. They’re aware of what we’ve got going on. You just hit it head-on. We’re all on the same page with everything.”

McNeese is preparing to play Clemson, a future ACC opponent for Wade, tomorrow in the NCAA Tournament. Wade has taken the Cowboys to the postseason in each of his two years in the Southland Conference, posting an impressive 49-8 record. Prior to his arrival in Lake Charles, McNeese had only two NCAA Tournament appearances.

McNeese lost 86-65 to Gonzaga a year ago. They are 7.5-point underdogs against Clemson. That game tips off at 3:15 p.m. EST on truTV.

There’s no denying that Wade can coach. He guided VCU to a pair of NCAA Tournaments before taking over at LSU. In his second season, the Tigers won the SEC Regular Season title.

He did not get to finish that season on the LSU sidelines. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, it was reported that he made a “strong-ass offer” to a recruit in a conversation that was recorded via an FBI wiretap. He was suspended for postseason play but was able to keep his job for another three seasons, leading LSU to an SEC Championship Game, before the Tigers cut bait after receiving an NCAA Notice of Allegations.

The strong-ass offer would have blacklisted Wade, but the climate around college athletics has drastically changed. The FBI’s investigation into cheating in college basketball was completely undone by the world of NIL, where most players accept strong-ass offers before choosing a school.

It’s a bit unusual for a coach to have reportedly accepted an offer for another coaching position before his team has played in the NCAA Tournament. It could be no other way for Will Wade. You can expect NC State to immediately improve and compete in the ACC with Wade leading the program.