LSU Rehires Will Wade From NC State As Head Coach
Will Wade is returning to LSU, leaving NC State after one season to take over the program he previously led from 2018 to 2022. Wade announced the move Thursday in a statement posted to X, the same day LSU fired incumbent coach Matt McMahon, sources told ESPN.
The financial toll on LSU is substantial. The university will owe McMahon more than $8 million on his remaining contract, while Wade's buyout to depart NC State before April 1 exceeds $5 million.
"The opportunity to return to Louisiana State University is deeply personal," Wade said. "It's a chance to go home - to a place that means a great deal to me and my family."
Wade's return was orchestrated through a chain of administrative moves rooted in Louisiana politics. Governor Jeff Landry, who pushed for the firing of football coach Brian Kelly last fall, maintains a close relationship with Wade. LSU's dismissal of athletic director Scott Woodward, whose relationship with Landry had deteriorated partly over his refusal to reinstate Wade, cleared the initial path.
LSU then hired president Wade Rousse, who had previously brought Wade to McNeese State following his NCAA troubles. Rousse this week added McNeese athletic director Heath Schroyer, another close Wade ally, completing the alignment of three figures tightly connected to Landry.
McMahon went 60-70 across four seasons, including a 17-55 record in SEC play. His unusually long seven-year contract, signed in part to offset the scholarship restrictions Wade left behind, created the outsized buyout now burdening the university.
The financial damage extends beyond basketball. LSU owes Kelly $54 million following his football dismissal, paid $3 million to hire Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss, and faces roster spending under Kiffin projected to exceed $40 million. In total, LSU has accumulated more than $60 million in dead money over the past four months.
Wade's contract is expected to start at just under $5 million annually. His previous LSU tenure produced a 105-51 record and three NCAA tournament appearances, including the program's first SEC regular-season title in a decade in 2019.
His departure from Baton Rouge came after a federal wiretap captured him discussing a "strong-ass offer" for a recruit, ultimately resulting in five Level I NCAA violations, a two-year show-cause order, and a 10-game suspension in 2023.
Wade subsequently rebuilt his reputation at McNeese, winning 58 games across two seasons before a one-year stop at NC State ended with a First Four loss to Texas on March 17.
