UNC's Newest Villain: Will Wade Brings Heat to Tobacco Road

Like it or not, the "American Gangster" is poised to cause more headaches for North Carolina than any NC State coach has in years.

Mar 22, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade during the first half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

These are words that will either be ignored or laughed off by the North Carolina faithful: The Tar Heels should fear NC State.

Yes — that team in red and white from Raleigh. Hate them if you must, but under Will Wade, you’ll have no choice but to respect them.

Wade has injected the Wolfpack with national relevance — not just headline noise, but wins. And in a basketball-mad state where Duke and Carolina have long shared the stage, the rise of a loud, confident State squad threatens to alter the power structure of the ACC. For Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels, that means having to defend their turf against two rivals instead of one.

And Wade? He’s not here to be polite. He’s here to build a winner. Fast.

At every coaching stop, Wade has flipped programs quickly. At Chattanooga, he inherited a team that went 24-40 over two seasons and led them to a 40-25 record in just two years. At LSU, he took over a team that finished 10-21 (2-16 SEC) and by Year 2 had them in the Sweet 16 as SEC regular-season champs — their first appearance in over a decade.

Wade’s tenure at LSU ended when he was fired by the university for multiple violations committed over an extended period. A year later, McNeese came calling — and Wade arguably did some of his best work in Lake Charles.

Wade orchestrated one of the most stunning turnarounds in college basketball at McNeese. The Cowboys were 11–23 the year before his arrival. In his first season? They finished 30–4, won the Southland Conference and earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 22 years.

He recruits like few others — unafraid to go head-to-head with the sport’s blue bloods. At LSU, he signed a class featuring McDonald’s All-Americans and future NBA players like Naz Reid, Javonte Smart, Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford. Whether in Baton Rouge or Lake Charles, Wade has always outpunched his weight — and now he has an ACC platform.

His teams play with grit, urgency and edge. They defend. They rebound. They attack the rim. They make opponents uncomfortable. That identity doesn’t change with zip codes.

And now, it’s Carolina’s problem.

Wade’s arrival comes at a time when UNC is trying to reassert itself on the national stage. But if Davis isn’t careful, he could lose more than a few five-star prospects to a coach with a proven blueprint and a fearlessness that resonates with today’s players.

NC State is no longer just a nuisance. With Will Wade in Raleigh, the Wolfpack are a threat.

And for the first time in a long time, that might make North Carolina feel a little uncomfortable, too.