By TODD HORNE, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
LSU did not conduct a coaching search.
It executed a plan.
By the time Matt McMahon was formally notified of his dismissal, LSU had already reached an agreement with Will Wade. The decision was not unfolding in real time. It had already been made.
There was no pivot point. No late deliberation. No alternative path.
LSU moved on before it said it did.
That matters, because it tells you exactly what this was.
Not a hire. Not a transition. A reset.
The return of Wade is the most visible part of the move. It is not the most significant.
Because LSU didn’t just bring back a coach—it absorbed the full cost of doing so, all at once.
The university has now taken on:
– The buyout of McMahon
– The additional buyouts tied to his staff
– A long-term, seven-year financial commitment to Wade
– The immediate cost required to secure his return
That is layered money. Not a single transaction—an accumulation.
And LSU made the decision to take it on anyway.
At the same time, LSU added Heath Schroyer to a senior role overseeing external operations—revenue, relationships, and fundraising.
That move is not separate from Wade’s hiring.
It is directly connected to it.
LSU did not just hire a coach.
It aligned the infrastructure around that coach.
This was not a reaction to the end of a season.
This was execution.
And yet, the financial risk is only one side of the equation.
LSU is betting it can grow revenue to levels it has never reached before.
A fully sold-out men’s basketball season would approach approximately $13 million in ticket revenue alone. But that level has never been achieved.
This is not a safe financial play. It is a growth bet.
And the timeline leaves no room for patience.
With the transfer portal opening April 7, LSU is not managing a roster—it is replacing one.
This is a full reset. And the clock is already running.
Be the first to comment