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LSU Basketball Pulls Off Historic Move in Hiring Away NC State Wolfpack HC Will Wade

LSU pulls off the unthinkable on Thursday morning, bringing back Wade after a one-year stint in Raleigh.
Zack Nagy|
Feb 28, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade claps against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade claps against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

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LSU TigersNorth Carolina State Wolfpack

In an unprecedented move that has quickly taken the college basketball landscape by storm, Will Wade is set to return to LSU after one season with the NC State Wolfpack, according to CBS Sports.

The LSU administration is expected to move on from head coach Matt McMahon with Wade at the forefront of the search as he prepares to his second stint in Baton Rouge.

Wade initially took over an LSU program in 2017 that finished 10-21 (2-16 SEC) - and by his second season at the helm had them in the Sweet 16 as SEC regular-season champs - their first appearance in over a decade.

Since Wade's departure, the LSU Basketball program has been an afterthought with limited success across the last four seasons under Matt McMahon. Now, the program has made it's move.

According to 247Sports, "There were many steps that LSU had to take for this to become a realistic possibility but as we learned with Lane Kiffin and the football program, if the donor base has the motivation to get something done, the financial element of it won't be what holds them back.

"LSU needed to buy out McMahon and his staff, which was in the $11 million range, then it needed to buy out Wade's contract at NC State, which is around the $5 million range.

"There can be some negotiations around that buyout between LSU and NC State with this now becoming official before April 1."

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein took social media by storm on Wednesday morning after revealing that the LSU administration was "on the verge" of landing the coveted shot-caller with the move now being made less than 24 hours later.

"LSU when Will Wade was there from 2017-2022 had incredible success in men's basketball. But obviously, was also in the news for a lot of off-the-chart issues that Wade was in the center of during the FBI scandal," Rothstein said.

"And now about four years later after he was fired, there is major major momentum to a reunion. And there's not just major, major momentum to a reunion. I'm telling you, barring something unforeseen, Will Wade is going to be the next coach of LSU."

Now, the deal is near the finish line with the program set to part ways with McMahon and ink Wade to a new deal with the LSU Tigers in an unprecedented move for both parties.

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Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

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