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McNeese coach Will Wade has agreed to a six-year contract to be the next coach of NC State, he told CBS Sports on Saturday. Wade spoke in the locker room following McNeese’s 76-62 loss to Purdue in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
NC State is expected to make the hiring official with a press release on Sunday.
When asked about his future at the day-before press conference prior to McNeese’s game against Clemson, Wade acknowledged he had been contact with NC State.
“Yes,” Wade said when asked if he, his agent, or anyone close to him had spoken to NC State.
Hours later, sources confirmed to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander that Wade is expected to take the job. 247Sports’ NC State site, PackPride.com, also reports that Wade and the Wolfpack have reached an agreement on a deal.
Wade’s 12th-seeded Cowboys upset No. 5 Clemson on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament 69-67, logging the school’s first March Madness win ever. Wade didn’t shy from what the heavy speculation, and he said as much by addressing situation directly with his team.
“We addressed it head-on,” Wade said. “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.”
With Kevin Keatts out, NC State had been closing in on Wade. The 42-year-old former LSU coach owns a 244-105 record across four Division I coaching stops since breaking in at Chattanooga in 2013 at age 30.
Wade has done a masterful job in two seasons with McNeese, guiding the Cowboys to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and rebuilding his reputation following a messy exit from LSU.
The hiring could come with another big get: March Madness viral star manager Amir “Aura” Kahn is expected to follow Wade to Raleigh and join the staff as a graduate assistant after completing his undergraduate degree at McNeese later this year.
