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Will Wade Could Still Bail On North Carolina State For Bigger Job As Players Audition For Transfer Portal

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Will Wade North Carolina State Contract
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Will Wade is expected to be named as the next college basketball coach at North Carolina State. However, the 42-year-old could still bail on the Wolfpack for a bigger job if McNeese State continues to make a deep run during March Madness.

He has been extremely transparent about the process over the last few days but nothing is official until there is ink on the paper!

Wade, one of the most excitable personalities in college basketball, was essentially exiled from the sport back in 2022 due to a number of recruiting violations at LSU. The FBI (yes, the Federal Bureau of Investigation) caught him discussing a “strong a– offer” with a recruit on a wiretap. His conversation was part of a much larger scandal, which is the focus of an HBO documentary called ‘The Scheme.’

Wade was fired by the Tigers on March 12, 2022. McNeese State hired him exactly one year later. He was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2023–24 season and was given a two-year show-cause penalty for his “recruiting and bribery violations” in Baton Rouge. However, the “recruiting and bribery violations” essentially became legal when NIL was introduced on July 1, 2021.

Fast forward to present day. The Cowboys won 30 games during the 2023-24 season and won the Southland Conference. They won 28 games in 2024-25 and won the Southland Conference again.

McNeese State earned a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament. It upset Clemson in the first round on Thursday. Will Wade was fired up. He shares a special bond with athletic director Heath Schroyer, who gave him a chance when he was considered untouchable, and jumped into his arms.

Although the Cowboys are still dancing, this will be their last year with Wade as their head coach. It is expected that he will soon be named as the next head coach at North Carolina State. They reportedly came to an agreement earlier this week.

Wade has been extremely transparent about the ongoing discussions about other jobs. Both with the media and with his players. Everybody at McNeese is likely going to be elsewhere next year. Some of them are going to join Wade in Raleigh. Others will transfer up to a different power conference program.

Wade said the quiet part out loud after the win on Thursday. He is leaving and so are his players. This (not-so) Cinderella run during March Madness essentially serves as an audition for the transfer portal.

Here’s the catch. According to multiple sources, Will Wade has yet to sign a contract with N.C. State.

While it seems unlikely that he would bail on the Wolfpack at this stage of the process, there is nothing to stop him from doing so. Texas is probably going to fire head coach Rodney Terry in the coming days. Would the Longhorns make Wade an offer he cannot refuse? What if McNeese keeps winning? Would a school like Virginia, Villanova, West Virginia or even Iowa try to steal him away from North Carolina State?

Probably not. Will Wade is likely going to be named as the next head coach of the Wolfpack as soon as the Cowboys lose. A large portion of his roster is likely going to join him. But…… nothing is in writing!!