NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan and the Wolfpack are in search for a new coach following Will Wade’s decision to return to LSU.
When asked on Wednesday about Wade’s decision, Corrigan said it caught him off guard.
“Over the course of the last year we developed a relationship that I believed was on trust and accountability,” Wade said at his press conference on Thursday, noting Wade told him he wanted to be at NC State as recently as Tuesday.
Wade became the coach at NC State last year, after leading McNeese State to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years. He had big expectations entering Raleigh, but the Wolfpack were up-and-down, with their season ending against Texas in a First Four game.
He will be heading back to Baton Rouge where he was the coach from 2017-2022. During his time as the LSU coach, the Tigers had a record of 105-51. They made it to the NCAA Tournament in three of the five seasons he coached there. One of the two years they missed it was during COVID. He was fired after 2022 because of recruiting violations.
Wade’s contract is expected to go from $2.5 to $4 million, while the NIL money is expected to be higher in Baton Rouge.
