BATON ROUGE — LSU is moving forward with rehiring former men's basketball coach Will Wade, the coach said Thursday.

LSU will part ways with current coach Matt McMahon on Thursday and hire Wade. Wade currently coaches at NC State and previously served as LSU's head coach from 2017 to 2022 before he was fired.

Wade said that returning to LSU is "deeply personal."

"It's a chance to go home—to a place that means a great deal to me and my family," Wade said in a statement.

pic.twitter.com/7FVKZRNnDy

— Will Wade (@CoachWadeNCSU) March 26, 2026

Wade was at the center of a nationwide recruiting scandal regarding illegal payments made to recruits.

The buyout in Wade’s six-year deal at NC State has a $5 million buyout that drops to $3 million after April 1, the Associated Press reports.

After he left LSU, Wade coached at McNeese State University from 2023 to 2025, before going to NC State for the 2025-26 season. During his time at McNeese, Wade led the team to the NCAA tournament for two years in a row. 

This year, the Wade-led NC State lost its opening round game against Texas in the NCAA tournament.