Ex-LSU Coach Will Wade Lands New College Job One Year After Firing

A year after LSU men's basketball fired him over serious NCAA violations, former Tigers coach Will Wade is back.

Announced Sunday, Wade accepted the head coaching job for McNeese State.

LSU canned Wade after the program received a Notice of Allegations regarding Wade's illicit expenditures with 11 Tigers players. The dismissal also came three years after LSU suspended Wade following an FBI wiretap in 2017 in which he proposed a "strong-a** offer" to former Tigers point guard Javonte Smart.

NCAA hit LSU with a Notice of Allegations, which included five Level I violations and one Level II violation.

Wade has a D1 coaching record of 196-96. He coached his way to five NCAA tournament appearances, including two with VCU and three with LSU. Wade coached the Tigers to an SEC regular-season championship in 2019.

(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

McNeese State fired their head coach, John Aiken, after just two seasons. Cowboys athletic director Heath Schroyer released a statement on Wade's addition to the program.

"I'm so excited to welcome Coach Wade, his wife Lauren and daughter Caroline to Southwest Louisiana and McNeese,” AD Schroyer said.

"This is a completely different job than it was three years ago. McNeese Basketball is one of the best jobs in the nation in regards to one-bid leagues. We are funded at the top of the league, have the best facility, a passionate fan base and many other built-in advantages.

"I will not make excuses for why we can't win and win big. Quite frankly, there is no excuse. The days of us celebrating making conference tournaments or accepting mediocrity in all of our sports, let alone in basketball, are over."