He\u2019s baaaaack.<\/p>\n
After only one season as NC State\u2019s men\u2019s basketball coach, Will Wade is leaving the Wolfpack to return to LSU, he said in a statement. To make way for Wade, LSU intends to fire coach Matt McMahon on Thursday, weeks after the end of his fourth season without an NCAA Tournament appearance.<\/p>\n
Wade announced the decision Thursday before LSU or NC State issued any public comments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was not an easy decision, because of how much respect and appreciation I have for this program and this university,\u201d Wade said<\/a>. \u201cBut the opportunity to return to Louisiana State University is deeply personal. It\u2019s a chance to go home \u2014 to a place that means a great deal to me and my family.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll always be grateful for my time here, the relationships we built, and the foundation we helped strengthen. NC State is positioned for continued success, and I\u2019ll be cheering them on moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The feeling might not be mutual.<\/p>\n In a news conference Thursday afternoon, NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan repeatedly used the word \u201cdisappointed\u201d to describe his emotions. He said he talked multiple times with Wade about his future, including whether they needed to have a discussion about the LSU job. They had a two-hour meeting Tuesday night to address issues like scheduling and roster management, and Wade repeatedly expressed his intentions to stay with the Wolfpack. Wade skipped another meeting with Corrigan before his agent emailed Corrigan his notice of resignation.<\/p>\n Corrigan said he \u201cwould commiserate\u201d with Wolfpack fans who felt lied to.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no reason for me in my job not to believe the words that I was hearing coming back to me from Coach Wade\u2026\u201d Corrigan said. \u201cI was as surprised, as shocked as anyone else as this occurred based on the previous conversations that we\u2019d had.<\/p>\n \u201cI believed he was telling me his true intentions. I\u2019m disappointed for our athletic department, I\u2019m disappointed for our fans, and I\u2019m disappointed for our university that we\u2019re here today.\u201d<\/p>\n Rumblings about Wade potentially returning to LSU \u2014 where he went 105-51 from 2018 to 2022, rising to national prominence in the process \u2014 have persisted all season. But that chatter reached a fever pitch recently, as the Tigers began hiring many of Wade\u2019s former associates. LSU hired former McNeese president Wade Rousse as its new president in November 2025 and earlier this week hired McNeese athletic director Heath Schroyer (who hired Wade at McNeese) as a senior administrator. Wade also has a longstanding relationship with Louisiana governor Jeff Landry \u2014 who pushed for the Tigers to hire Wade last spring, according to a source close to Wade \u2014 as well as Lee Mallett, the chairman of LSU\u2019s Board of Supervisors.<\/p>\n Wade\u2019s name, image and likeness and revenue-sharing resources are expected to outweigh those that he had at NC State this season, a source added.<\/p>\n