ESPN broadcaster Jay Bilas calls out the NCAA over Will Wade’s surprising departure from NC State to LSU after one season.
After just one season as the NC State Wolfpack head coach, during which he led the team to the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, Will Wade has decided to leave the university and return as head coach of the LSU Tigers.
Wade previously led LSU for five seasons from 2017 to 2022 before being fired for cause in March 2022 for NCAA violations. Wade quickly rebounded by taking the head coaching job at McNeese, guiding them to the NCAA Tournament last season, and then making the jump to NC State. However, rumors that circulated earlier this week — after he followed several LSU officials and social media accounts— proved true: Wade is back in Baton Rouge following LSU’s decision to part ways with current head coach Matt McMahon.Wade’s decision has drawn sharp criticism from ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, who directed his frustration squarely at the NCAA for its continued silence on coaching movement — a topic that in today’s college athletics landscape can be just as chaotic and controversial as players transferring via the portal, which often bears the brunt of scrutiny. "Hey NCAA, tell us more about players that don’t show 'loyalty,' don’t want to go through 'adversity,' and how player movement impacts stability. Tell us more about 'tampering' and 'poaching.' The Coaches Portal is ALWAYS open,"The NCAA faces plenty of questions across all college sports when it comes to the transfer portal, but the same scrutiny applies to coaches, who have been jumping ship at an all-time high in recent years. Coaches can often leave with a simple buyout, even when under long-term contracts. Wade, for example, was technically under a six-year deal with NC State that he signed in 2025. His buyout, however, was $5 million for leaving before April. Now the Wolfpack are searching for a new head coach, and under the current landscape of the sport, Wade likely won’t be the last coach to leave abruptly.
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