LSU reportedly wants to get back into the Will Wade business.
On Wednesday, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that LSU “is working” to hire McNeese State athletic director/vice president Heath Schroyer as a senior administrator, but the second part of his report raised eyebrows.
“The Tigers’ head coaching job is not open, but LSU President Wade Rousse and Schroyer both previously hired NC State’s Will Wade at McNeese and are on the verge of bringing him back to Baton Rouge,” Rothstein wrote.
Matt McMahon has been LSU’s head men’s basketball coach since the 2022-23 season. The Tigers went 15-17 this year. McMahon has three years left on his contract and carries an approximate $8 million buyout (via NOLA.com).
According to Sports Illustrated‘s Pat Forde, Wade has a $5 million buyout that drops to $3 million after April 1.
“If the Wolfpack wants to sit around being used by Wade as he ‘deliberates’ for a week in order to help save LSU millions, that’s their choice,” Forde wrote. “Or they could try to negotiate a price between those figures — say, $4 million — and kick him out of his office tomorrow.”
This was Wade’s first year at NC State. The Wolfpack finished 19-12 in the regular season, lost in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal, and lost their First Four game to No. 11 Texas, which plays in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
Wade was LSU’s head men’s basketball coach from 2017 to 2022. In that time, LSU made the NCAA Tournament three times.
The Tigers’ best season under Wade came in 2018-19. They were the SEC’s regular-season champions at 26-5 and reached the Sweet 16. However, LSU had to go through the NCAA Tournament without Wade, who was suspended after allegedly being caught on an FBI wiretap discussing recruitment tactics that violated NCAA rules at the time.
In March 2022, LSU fired its head coach amid allegations of several Level I NCAA violations, leaving the Tigers without their head coach for another NCAA Tournament run. They lost in the first round and haven’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since.
Wade received a two-year show-cause order and 10-game suspension in June 2023. Jeff Borzello relayed at the time that Wade was found “to have made impermissible payments to the former fiancée of a player, while also failing to cooperate in an investigation and failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance.”
Wade coached at McNeese for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, and the Cowboys made the NCAA Tournament both years — losing in the first round and second round, respectively.
Wade has a 266-119 overall Division I coaching record, including a 156-105 run at LSU.
Read the full article here
