The college basketball coaching carousel is spinning out of control, and it continued on Thursday with reports that Will Wade is expected to return to LSU.
Pete Nakos and Joe Tipton of On3 reported that Wade is expected to leave North Carolina State and return to LSU in a wild turn of events. After that, ESPN’s Jay Bilas pointed out some irony regarding the current state of the NCAA.
“Hey NCAA, us more about players that don’t show “loyalty,” don’t want to go through “adversity” and how player movement impacts stability. Tell us more about “tampering” and “poaching.” The Coaches Portal is ALWAYS open. Funny how silent coaches and administrators are about that,” Bilas wrote.
Hey NCAA, us more about players that don’t show “loyalty,” don’t want to go through “adversity” and how player movement impacts stability. Tell us more about “tampering” and “poaching.” The Coaches Portal is ALWAYS open. Funny how silent coaches and administrators are about that. https://t.co/kauDh1zAiF
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) March 26, 2026
The current state of the transfer portal in college sports has sparked plenty of questions over the years, with players leaving after just one season.
However, Bilas is saying the same argument should be made for coaches who leave after one season, which is exactly what Wade is doing.
Wade spent two seasons at McNeese, then went to North Carolina State before the 2025-26 season, and he is now headed to LSU, the same school he coached at from 2017 through 2022 before being fired due to NCAA allegations.
Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Wade to LSU was the expectation, so the writing appeared to be on the wall for some time.
So, Wade appears headed to LSU, meaning the NC State job is vacant once again.
