Will Wade will return to be the head coach of LSU Basketball, and he's looking to stay longer than he did the first time around, when the Tigers terminated his contract after five seasons because of recruiting violations. Exactly a year after the termination, Wade signed with McNeese, leading them to two consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
After a year at NC State, where he led them to the First Four, Wade finally got his old job back at LSU and is signing a seven-year deal, according to Jeff Goodman via X, formerly Twitter.
Considering the circumstances around Wade's firing from LSU in his first go-around, it isn't too surprising to see him make his way back now that the dust has settled. Resources are a big reason why coaches want to go to Baton Rouge, and he'll have more to play with in terms of NIL and staff salaries, according to Goodman.
Wade made three NCAA tournaments during his time with LSU, with his best year coming in 2019 when he led them to the Sweet 16. The Tigers haven't made it back to the tournament since Wade's departure, with Matt McMahon owning a 60-69 record over his four seasons in charge. It was a far fall from the peak of Wade's time in charge when LSU was as high as 9th in the AP rankings.
Wade attempted to douse the fire of his potential hiring when asked about it weeks ago, but in the end, the allure of Baton Rouge was too much for the head coach to resist.
