By Brian Murphy, WRAL

Raleigh, N.C. — McNeese State coach Will Wade said Wednesday that he has talked with NC State about coming to Raleigh to be its next men’s basketball coach.

Multiple reports indicate that NC State and Wade have reached an agreement, though it must be finalized.

Wade would replace Kevin Keatts, who was fired on March 9 after eight seasons at NC State. Wade quickly emerged as the top candidate.

No. 12 seed McNeese State (27-6) plays No. 5 seed Clemson (27-6) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island. Wade graduated from Clemson and worked as a graduate assistant with the Tigers from 2005 to 2007.

His name has been mentioned in connection with several job openings and potential job openings after last season and during this one. He said he and his players discussed the rumors.

“We addressed it head on,” Wade said Wednesday. “I talked to them Saturday about it. Here’s what it is, here is where we are. It was just me and our players and we all talked about it. I’m aware of what I have got going on. They’re aware of what we’ve got going on. You just hit it head-on. We’re all on the same page with everything.”

Wade was then asked if he’s talked with NC State about its vacancy.

“Yes,” Wade replied with a smile.

Later in the press conference, Wade said he players are seeing reports on social media, so it is better to talk directly to them.

“Just tell it like it is,” Wade said Wednesday. “You may not always like what I’m going to say, but I’m going to tell you what I think. I’ve always kind of been like that, and there’s no need to hide it. The guys are reading it on social media. It’s no secret. I’m not going to ask them to do something I’m not willing to do. It’s no good if you don’t address it and if you sit there and BS them. They can read right through the BS, so you might as well, hey, this is what it is. Here we are, and we’ll figure it out.”

McNeese State coach Will Wade led the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and 2025. He has emerged as a top candidate to replace Kevin Keatts at NC State. (File photo)

The Wolfpack won the ACC Tournament title and reached the Final Four in 2024, but Keatts’ squad finished 12-19 in 2025 and failed to qualify for the 15-team ACC Tournament.

The firing of Keatts and the possibility of hiring Wade have led to a spike in donations and memberships at One Pack, the school’s collective. The collective has seen more than 20% growth in since Keatts was fired and expects another big boost when the new coach is announced.

That financial giving could help Wolfpack athletics director Boo Corrigan make an attractive package to prospective candidates. Keatts said the program was behind in name, image and likeness support, which is critical to attracting and retaining players.

Wade suggested that he met with NC State on Thursday, March 12, in an interview with KPLC, a TV station in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

“Hectic, but look it’s all part of it. Certainly, we have to handle some business Thursday,” Wade said in the interview.

He added: “We’re here for the duration. We’re not going to shortchange this program one bit. We’re going to make sure we finish this season off as well as we can. And then whatever cards we’ve got at the end of the year, we’ll figure out what we’re doing.”

Wade, 42, is in his second season at McNeese State. McNeese State has won the Soutland Conference regular season and conference tournament titles in both years, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Wade is 57-10 in two seasons with McNeese State.

“Coach Wade always tells us, don’t worry about the outside noise,” McNeese State’s Javohn Garcia said. “We just worry about what’s going on now. We’re going to take one day at a time, one game at a time and just play it like it’s our last. We don’t care about everything else that’s going on with that type of stuff so we’re just going to worry about what’s going on now.”

Previously, Wade coached at Louisiana State for five seasons. His teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times. He was fired with a 105-51 record before the 2022 NCAA Tournament after LSU received a notice of allegations detailing misconduct related to an FBI investigation into college basketball.

Before LSU, Wade coached two seasons at Chattanooga, going 40-25 and then two seasons at VCU, going 51-20 and reaching the NCAA Tournament twice.

Keatts went 151-113 in eight seasons at NC State. The Wolfpack went to the NCAA Tournament three times under Keatts. Keatts made more than $3.3 million this season.

Wade signed a five-year extension with McNeese State in February 2024. He makes $700,000 and has a $1 million buyout if he were to leave after the 2025 season, according to ESPN.

Source: wralsportsfan.com