It appears that those Will Wade-to-LSU rumors just might be coming true. Wade, who is currently the head coach of the NC State Wolfpack, might be in line to return to LSU. Wade was fired in 2022 after LSU received a notice of major NCAA violations conducted while he was head coach.
LSU Rumors Swirl Around Will Wade’s Return
In light of LSU’s finish in the SEC Tournament, the school has neither confirmed nor denied any details regarding Matt McMahon’s job status. On Wednesday morning, McMahon reportedly had not been told anything new about his situation with the Tigers basketball program.
LSU’s relative silence about McMahon’s job status doesn’t help hush up the rumor mill. The school has been in contact with Wade, with administration seemingly intensifying its pursuit of a reunion in Baton Rouge this week.
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CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein posted on X on Wednesday, indicating that it is possible that Wade returns to LSU. It is tied to another move LSU is making as well, leaving the situation around current LSU head coach Matt McMahon in limbo.
“Sources: LSU is working to hire McNeese’s Heath Schroyer as a Senior Administrator,” Rothstein wrote. “The Tigers’ head coaching job is not open, but LSU President Wade Rousse & Schroyer both previously hired NC State’s Will Wade at McNeese & are on the verge of bringing him back to Baton Rouge.”
Sources: LSU is working to hire McNeese’s Heath Schroyer as a Senior Administrator.
The Tigers’ head coaching job is not open, but LSU President Wade Rousse & Schroyer both previously hired NC State’s Will Wade at McNeese & are on the verge of bringing him back to Baton Rouge.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 25, 2026
Schroyer and Wade worked together at McNeese, where Wade had coached before going to coach NC State. There is already built-in history between them, and reports from On3 indicate that Wade is not returning to LSU without Schroyer being part of the administration.
So, what were the details that surrounded Wade’s firing back in 2022? ESPN detailed what the NCAA’s enforcement staff received about Wade’s actions.
“According to documents obtained by ESPN in August 2020, the NCAA’s enforcement staff received information that Wade ‘arranged for, offered and/or provided impermissible payments, including cash payments, to at least 11 men’s basketball prospective student-athletes, their family members, individuals associated with the prospects and/or nonscholastic coaches in exchange for the prospects’ enrollment at LSU,'” the ESPN story indicated.
In five seasons at LSU, Wade compiled a 105-51 coaching record and took the Tigers to three NCAA Men’s Tournament appearances. Wade also won one SEC regular-season championship during his tenure in Baton Rouge.
Wade spent two seasons at McNeese, putting together a 50-9 record and two NCAA Men’s Tournament appearances out of the Southland Conference. Wade has been at NC State for just one season, posting a 20-14 record and leading the Wolfpack into this season’s NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Texas in the First Four on March 17.
