College basketball insider shares detailed timeline of how LSU hired away Will Wade from NC State
By David Wasson
Published:
The messy breakup between NC State and Will Wade – and equally messy reunion between LSU and its former basketball coach – has been clouded in speculation all week. But CBS Sports insider Matt Norlander posted a series of comments recently on X (formerly Twitter) detailing how the NC State-Wade-LSU triangle hashed itself out.
Norlander indicated that LSU reached out to Wade, who was fired by the Tigers after an NCAA investigation and 2-year show cause penalty in 2022, on Tuesday to see if he would return to Baton Rouge. Wade then approached NC State officials to inquire about salary increases for his staff and more money to spend in Name, Image and Likeness deals for potential players.
After NC State indicated it was not able to meet Wade’s requests by going from $9 million in NIL money to the over $10 million LSU is reportedly willing to spend on building a roster, Wade notified LSU that he was eager for a return – though the Tigers still had yet to fire coach Matt McMahon.
Norlander continued his X posts by saying that LSU president Wade Rousse was the primary suitor for Wade’s return, with the school’s Board of Supervisors endorsing the courtship. Norlander also said that Governor Jeff Landry, who inserted himself in the firing of football coach Brian Kelly and the resultant wooing of Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss, was not a significant factor in Wade’s return.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
