The NC State Wolfpack moved on from Kevin Keatts as head coach on March 9 after eight seasons with the program. It was a brutal season for the Wolfpack, as they missed out on the NCAA Tournament completely. However, the program aims for a brighter future after finally finding Keatts' replacement.

NC State is hiring former McNeese State head coach Will Wade to take over the program, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN. The news was first reported by Joe Giglio of OG Media presented by Copier Plus.

“McNeese's Will Wade has reached an agreement to become the next head coach at NC State, sources confirmed to ESPN. First reported by Joe Giglio. Wade has won 57 games over the last two seasons at McNeese, went to five NCAA tournaments at LSU and VCU.”

Wade is a solid acquisition for NC State. This is now the sixth program in which he'll be the head coach. The 42-year-old coach owns an impressive 243-104 all-time record and as noted by Borzellow, he's led both of the LSU and VCU programs to NCAA Tournament appearances.

The decision is rather shocking for McNeese State, as the Cowboys are participating in the NCAA Tourney this postseason as a 12 seed. They're set to take on the No. 5 seed Clemson Tigers on Thursday.

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Giglio reports that Will Wade is going to coach McNeese State through the tournament, however, the plan is for him to “move quickly when McNeese's season ends.” It'll be one last ride for Wade and the Cowboys before he leaves for the Wolfpack.

“From my sources: NC State has reached an agreement with Will Wade to be its next men's basketball coach. There is still the matter of finalizing the deal, and that McNeese is playing in the NCAA tournament, but plans are in place to move quickly when McNeese's season ends.”

So, Wade returns to a major basketball program once again since the 2022 season when he was fired by LSU over recruiting violation allegations. Wade allegedly offered payments to incoming recruits dating back to 2017, before the NIL was implemented in college sports.

Will Wade was slapped with a five-game suspension in his first five games with McNeese State in 2023. It was written in his contract as part of his punishment for the alleged violations with LSU. All of that is seemingly in the past now, as the veteran head coach heads to NC State for a new opportunity.