Will Wade, pack your bags, both literally and metaphorically. On Sunday morning, the McNeese State athletic department announced that the controversial Wade is headed to McNeese State, his first job since getting axed by LSU in March 2022.

“I'm so excited to welcome Coach Wade, his wife Lauren and daughter Caroline to Southwest Louisiana and McNeese!” McNeese State athletic director Heath Schroyer said in a statement. “This is a completely different job than it was three years ago. McNeese Basketball is one of the best jobs in the nation in regards to one-bid leagues. We are funded at the top of the league, have the best facility, a passionate fan base and many other built-in advantages. I will not make excuses for why we can't win and win big. Quite frankly, there is no excuse.

“The days of us celebrating making conference tournaments or accepting mediocrity in all of our sports, let alone in basketball, are over.”

Across nine seasons at Chattanooga, VCU and LSU, Wade has been tremendously successful wherever he's been, making five of the last six NCAA Tournaments. At LSU, he turned around a moribund program, revamping their recruiting and landing at least one five-star prospect every season he was there.

In what's surely pure chance, Wade's  recruiting success coincided with a rash of recruiting violations. In a March 2019 wiretap run by the FBI, Wade vented that he couldn't land a player despite a “strong-ass offer.” During the FBI investigation, LSU largely stood by Wade, suspending him for only five games in 2019. Once the NCAA formally served the Notice of Allegations in 2022, though, LSU cut ties with Wade.