Will Wade fired as LSU basketball coach amid NCAA allegations

The LSU Tigers are making a surprising and abrupt change atop the men’s basketball program.

LSU fired head coach Will Wade on Saturday. The move comes one day after the Tigers were eliminated from the SEC Tournament with a 79-67 loss to Arkansas.

The decision to fire Wade apparently had more to do with off-court issues than on-court performance. LSU received a notice of allegations from the NCAA this week alleging significant violations within the basketball program. The school determined that the alleged violations were severe enough to warrant Wade’s dismissal, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium.

LSU received Notice of Allegations last week and made the decision that the violations were too severe to keep Wade, source told @Stadium. https://t.co/oJ6VBUH6Vb

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 12, 2022

Allegations of impropriety have tailed Wade for several years. He was suspended for the SEC and NCAA Tournaments in 2019 after reportedly being caught on a wiretap discussing an “offer” made to a recruit. Wade was later reinstated, but allegations that he set up illegal payments to recruits have continued to swirl ever since.

LSU likely had the ability to fire Wade for cause, as a renegotiated contract in 2019 allows the school to do so if Wade is alleged by the NCAA to have been involved in a Level I or II rules violation.

Wade went 105-51 as LSU coach, leading the school to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in five seasons at the helm.

Photo: Feb 26, 2022; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Will Wade reacts during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports