Reports: Former LSU coach Will Wade is headed to NC State
Will Wade is back at a high-major program, as the news broke on Wednesday afternoon that he was set to become the new head coach at North Carolina State. The former LSU head coach and current McNeese head coach will finish out the season with McNeese after another incredible season, winning the Southland title and advancing to his second NCAA Tournament in two years in Lake Charles.
Wade was fired from LSU on March 12, 2022 and after a year off, he took the McNeese job and is now back at a power program.
According to Joe Giglio of Ovies and Giglio and Law of the Wolf, the two sides haven’t finalized a deal yet, but an agreement has been reached: “From my sources: NC State has reached an agreement with Will Wade to be its next men’s basketball coach,” Giglio posted on X. “There is still the matter of finalizing the deal, and that McNeese is playing in the NCAA tournament, but plans are in place to move quickly when McNeese’s season ends.”
Matt Norlander of CBS Sports confirmed that Wade is expected to be NC State’s new coach, as well: “Just had a source follow up on [Giglio’s] report to say Will Wade’s deal with NC State is getting close but not entirely done,” Norlander responded on X. “Nothing has been signed, but, barring anything unexpected over the next couple of days, Wade is expected to be the next coach at NC State.”
The Cowboys leader was transparent, confirming he’s been in contact with the Wolfpack during a press conference on Wednesday, ahead of the McNeese State’s NCAA Tournament Round of 64 clash with Clemson: “I lay it all out there to my players, and my players have laid it all out there to me. We are transparent. We’ve shared it all with each other,” Wade told the media, via FOX’s John Fanta.
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The former LSU Tigers coach answered yes to a question regarding whether he’s been in contact with NC State specifically. Evidently, things began to move fast with the Wolfpack, and Wade has his next gig lined up.
In his five years at LSU, Wade went 105-51 and 55-33 in SEC play, winning the conference in 2019. He would have made the tournament in each of his final four seasons at LSU if not for COVID cancelling the tournament in 2020.
Meanwhile, LSU has been rebuilding while facing sanctions from the NCAA for the first two years of the Matt McMahon era. The Tigers have not been back to the NCAA Tournament since Wade’s final season and now are set to increase the program’s NIL budget heading into the 2025-26 season, looking to return to prominence in what has become the best conference in the country.
