By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The General is back in the Bayou State, and this time, he’ll be coaching LSU for the second time.
Will Wade left North Carolina State’s head men’s basketball coaching job after just one season on Thursday and returned to LSU, where he coached from 2017-22 before his firing for five major, Level 1 recruiting violations while at LSU in March of 2022.
“We are excited to welcome Will Wade back home as the next head coach of the LSU men’s basketball program,” LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry said in an LSU release after his second major hire in just four months.
Ausberry greeted new LSU football coach Lane Kiffin at the Baton Rouge Airport on Nov. 30 as Kiffin left Ole Miss’ head coaching job and landed in town. Kiffin had just replaced athletic director Scott Woodward, who fired Wade and blocked an attempt by LSU powers to hire him back last year from McNeese State before Wade landed at North Carolina State.
“As LSU fans know well, Will is a consistent winner, a diligent program program-builder, and a charismatic leader with an incredible ability to connect with his student-athletes and the fan base,” Ausberry said. “Not only does he bring his postseason pedigree and an energetic presence, but he is innovative and strategic at a time in college athletics that requires both. We are thrilled to have Will and his family back with us in Baton Rouge again.”
Home 💜 pic.twitter.com/HfmnVrCVEC
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) March 26, 2026
New LSU deputy athletic director Heath Schroyer, who was also hired on Thursday and left the AD job at McNeese State, hired Wade at McNeese State March of 2023 – a year after LSU fired him. Schroyer flew to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday to pick Wade up on an LSU plane.
New LSU president Wade Rousse, formerly the president at McNeese when Wade coached there, was also at the Baton Rouge Airport to greet Wade.
THE RETURN OF THE GENERAL to Baton Rouge!!!
— LSU President Dr. Wade Rousse (@LSUpresident) March 27, 2026
Coach Will Wade brings excellence to the court, excitement to our fan base and a heart for the game that is unmatched.
We are thrilled for what’s ahead, my friend. We build teams that WIN. Geaux Tigers! @LSUsports @LSUBasketball pic.twitter.com/thP5qTu35O
As he left the airport, Wade told a group of fans, “I’ll try to follow more rules this time.”
Will Wade had some jokes upon his arrival in Baton Rouge 😂 #LSU pic.twitter.com/8cm795oMZr
— The Verdin Verdict (@verdinverdict) March 27, 2026
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