From scandal to second chance, Will Wade’s journey to NC State basketball
The Wade family photos from 2018 appear to be like any other professional portraits of a mother, father and baby. Anyone who looks closely might see signs of sleeplessness and stress, not uncommon for new parents.
Those photos remind Will and Lauren Wade of a time when they were tired and worried, but not because of their daughter. Instead, it was because the couple was embroiled in the FBI’s college basketball corruption investigation aimed at squelching improper recruiting tactics and payments to players.
At the time, Will Wade was the head basketball coach at LSU, and one of the most successful young coaches in the sport.
But after being investigated by the FBI, suspended and fired from LSU, Wade was forced to put his basketball life on hold. He’s since been given a second chance. In 2023, he was hired as the head coach at McNeese State, where he coached for two years and led the Cowboys to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Last spring, Wade’s team upset Clemson, 69-67, in the tournament’s first round to claim the program’s first-ever March Madness win.
Now the head coach at N.C. State, Wade wants to prove he can still win at a power program while ensuring humility and his mindset shift remain at the forefront of his operations.
“You’re not going to change when things are going well, even if you know deep down — it may not sit right,” Wade said. “But, the winning is intoxicating, the accolades are intoxicating, and you don’t change until you’re forced. … I didn’t pay the ultimate price, but I paid a price, and I’ve been forced to change. I’m going to be a better coach at N.C. State because of that.”
From a winning coach to an investigation
Wade, 42, was a graduate assistant at Clemson before helping to coach a winning program at Virginia Commonwealth University. As a Rams assistant, the team had four straight NCAA tournament appearances and went to the 2011 Final Four. In his first head coaching role, he took Chattanooga to its first 20-win season in a decade and was named the 2014 Southern Conference coach of the year. When he returned to VCU as the head coach, the Rams won the Atlantic 10 championship and made two March Madness appearances.
In 2017-18, Wade’s first season at LSU, the Tigers finished 18-15 and advanced to the second round of the NIT, improving on the 10-21 record of former coach Johnny Jones’ final season, and building momentum for the next season.
But everything changed fast. Will and Lauren Wade watched the FBI investigation unfold, with reports of other schools and other coaches caught up in the scandal. A number of assistant coaches were sentenced to prison. Would that be him?
The couple should have been celebrating their daughter Caroline’s first birthday and taking time off. Instead, they were facing some of their worst days.
“You’re suddenly dealing with this huge burden, and yet no one can know why you might be not yourself or just completely stressed,” Lauren Wade said.
The FBI comes calling
What is going on? What’s next? How long will this last? Is jail a possibility? What if he can’t coach again? Caroline. Her birthday. The family pictures. Why?
Lauren Wade’s mind immediately filled with questions, concerns and shock when the FBI arrived at their home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in April 2018, to notify Will Wade he was under investigation for illegal activities related to college basketball recruiting.
In the fall of 2018, reports began to surface about Will Wade being part of the FBI investigation, which was around the same time the program was mourning the shooting death of LSU player Wayde Sims.
Almost a year later, in March 2019, LSU suspended Wade after FBI wiretaps caught him discussing a financial offer made to a recruit. In the 2017 recordings, he reportedly told Christian Dawkins, a sports agent who was also involved in the FBI’s investigation, that he made a “strong-ass offer” to a recruit while expressing frustration with the situation.
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m (expletive) tired of dealing with the thing,” Wade said on the recording. “Like I’m just (expletive) sick of dealing with the (expletive). Like, this should not be that (expletive) complicated.”
In the 2018-19 season, leading up to his suspension, Wade led the Tigers to a 20-5 record and an SEC regular-season title. Tony Benford stepped in for Wade as the interim head coach and helped the team reach the Sweet 16.
Wade’s five-week suspension lifted on April 14, 2019, after he negotiated several major changes to his contract, including forfeiting bonuses he would have earned during his suspension, allowing LSU to fire him with cause if he committed a Level I or Level II NCAA violation and he could be terminated with cause if the NCAA issued a formal notice of any involvement in a Level I or II violation.
LSU fired Wade in 2022 after the school received an NCAA Notice of Allegations that alleged Wade committed five Level I violations, including paying recruits.
“You’ve got to get knocked down. You’ve got to have some adversity,” Will Wade said. “Everything had been pretty easy up until that point.”
Learning from mistakes after being fired from LSU
Following his termination, Will Wade briefly became a stay-at-home dad, and Lauren went back to work full-time. It was a time to step back, reflect and figure out what’s most important.
“He was always just going, going, going, going, going,” Lauren Wade said. “It was always every day, just running on the hamster wheel. That definitely helped him put things in perspective, take a step back and improve areas of coaching and life that he really hadn’t been able to.”
Will Wade doesn’t know that he would change the experience. His mistakes and the investigation provided the context and a viewpoint that might not have come until much later. The timing was right for him to learn those lessons.
If he’d been older, Wade might’ve been forced to retire. If he’d been younger, his resume might not have been strong enough to earn a second chance.
“I’m fortunate. I learned it at a young age,” Wade said. “I’m still only 42 years old. I have another opportunity to right the wrong.”
Will Wade gets a second chance at McNeese State
Wade jumped into the arms of McNeese State athletic director Heath Schroyer after the Cowboys defeated Clemson on March 19 to advance in the NCAA tournament. It was the first NCAA tournament win in the school’s history and a major step in Wade’s career rebuild.
“MY GUY!” Schroyer tweeted after the game. “Everyone thought we were crazy…”
McNeese hired Wade on March 12, 2023, exactly one year after LSU fired him. The NCAA suspended him for the first 10 games of the 2023-24 season and he was given a show-cause penalty, meaning McNeese had to convince the NCAA why Wade should be allowed to coach. McNeese placed temporary recruiting restrictions on Wade immediately after his hiring.
Still, it was his first opportunity to coach again.
Wade went on to finish with a 50-9 record at McNeese, including a 36-2 record in the Southland Conference. Neither of his teams lost more than one game in conference play and won the league both seasons.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank everybody at McNeese. McNeese was incredible,” Wade said when he was introduced at N.C. State. “Not many people would take a chance on me two years ago, and they took a chance on me.”
It extended past the basketball program, though. The whole community, Lauren Wade said, welcomed the family and gave it a chance to reset and move forward as a family and professionally.
“Lake Charles embraced us more than we could have ever imagined,” Lauren Wade said. “The relationship that we had with the community was so special. It was a really great two years.”
No days off
Few things describe Will Wade better than his relentless pursuit of excellence and devotion to the game. He wants to be the best and knows every detail matters. Most of Wade’s days are spent reading, watching film, scouting, and connecting with players and other coaches.
His first date with Lauren included watching VCU postgame film and eating Qdoba burritos. Except for his family, Will Wade doesn’t concern himself with much of anything outside of basketball. He’s entrenched in a way that’s both a marvel and intimidating.
Will Wade expects the same level of dedication from his team and assistants. There is no skimping on drills. Players are graded weekly for their performance, and no one ever wants to be at the bottom. Assistants are expected to know everything an opponent might do in every situation, and where the program’s own players thrive. That comes from consistency and countless hours spent studying the game.
Current N.C. State assistant coach Adam Howard, then at Morehead State, remembers in 2011 when the two met. Howard received an email from Will Wade two days later, following up on their conversation about specific schematics. It was sent at 4:30 a.m. To Howard, that showed Wade’s commitment to basketball, improving as a coach and building relationships within the profession.
N.C. State assistant coach Brandon Chambers is proud of his personal work ethic and believes that sets him apart from others. He doesn’t compare to his boss. Chambers and fellow Wolfpack assistant Vernon Hamilton, both of whom worked under Will Wade at LSU and McNeese, said he was this way at both previous stops.
“Coach Wade makes me look like the JV team,” Chambers said. “He works so hard. If there is any negative to working for Coach Wade, he needs a hobby. He needs other things to do.”
Part of it is his innate drive. The other part is that he’s one of the few coaches who didn’t play the sport, and he always wanted to prove he belonged.
“When you’re that young and don’t have all those connections that people who come to the sport after a successful NBA career, collegiate career, or work their way up, I think a lot of that was, ‘Well, I’m gonna outwork everyone. I’m gonna be this brash, bold, confident, chip-on-my-shoulder, kind of coach,’” Lauren Wade said.
‘You do this for the people’
Wade’s assistants and players have stuck around on purpose. Many of them, including players Quadir Copeland and Alyn Breed, followed him from McNeese State to N.C. State. It’s not because of his confident personality or winning rosters. They’ve stuck around because, more than he cares about basketball or a public persona, he cares about them.
N.C. State director of Player Development Joseph “JoJo” Anderson also came from McNeese State with Wade. When Anderson was dealing with family challenges last year, he kept quiet about them, keeping his emotions and struggles private. Wade saw past the facade, though. He kept an eye on Anderson and promoted open conversations, shouldering a little bit of the burden.
“He could see me when I really wasn’t all the way there, even though I worked hard and showed no emotion,” Anderson said. “I think Coach knew, and we had some open dialog about it. Coach being who he is behind closed doors and being there for his staff and his players is huge. He has a side to him that’s really personal. I think that’s why our staff goes so hard for him.”
Wade is intentional with those around him. He takes the time to learn about their families, their hobbies and the things that make them tick, Wolfpack director of operations Nick Flory said. Wade’s inner circle said he learns what makes them laugh and cry, their body language and tone, and how to get the best out of each person.
At McNeese State, the Wade family hosted a Christmas Eve dinner for those who couldn’t travel home. When the team was on the road during Thanksgiving, Will and Lauren tried to make the holiday still feel special. They hope to do similar things with the Wolfpack.
“You do this for people. You do this for the relationships. That’s what it’s all about,” Wade said. “You don’t have to have the most money, you don’t have to have the nicest facilities. You don’t have to have the newest stuff. If you’ve got great people, it gives you a chance. That’s what we’ve built all of our programs on.”
Nearly every staff member played for, worked with or built a friendship with Wade before he came to N.C. State. They say he possesses a level of gentleness and awareness, seemingly antithetical to the toughness and resilience he expects on the court. But it works.
He builds trust with his players and staff in such a way that everyone feels valued and connected to the common goal. Copeland, who transferred from Syracuse to McNeese State and is now at N.C. State, said the two had a rocky relationship at the beginning. That grew into a deep respect after they started to understand each other and Copeland began seeing positive results on the court.
“I only ask for a fair shot and to just be myself,” Copeland, a senior point guard said. “He never judged me for my character. I’m loud. I’m loud as hell. … He lets me be Q. And that’s the best part of everything. I’m comfortable here. I think my whole team is comfortable.”
Wade invests in fostering relationships and keeps a list of people he wants to reach out to, Lauren Wade said. He’s often on the phone or texting someone. He even once gave his phone number to a waiter in Palm Beach who is now planning to attend an N.C. State basketball game this season.
It can sometimes be a lot (and a smidge less phone time might be the only thing Lauren would change about Will), but she also knows it’s one of the qualities that makes him so special.
“I don’t think we’d be sitting here if he didn’t spend so much time fostering those relationships that he has in the basketball world,” she said. “I think that’s part of what makes him so successful.”
Love, loyalty and the Wolfpack
Will Wade’s daughter, Caroline, walked between her parents onto the court at Reynolds Coliseum last March, with a slightly shy look on her face as she saw the number of people awaiting the family’s arrival. Minutes later, she sat with her mom as N.C. State athletic director Boo Corrigan introduced Will Wade as N.C. State’s new basketball coach.
The day was as much about them as it was him. It was a moment to celebrate the family’s resilience and loyalty.
Known for his toughness and, at times, brashness, Will Wade possesses an obvious soft spot for his wife and daughter. He’s always loved them, Lauren Wade said, but she sees how different things are now.
Before the FBI investigation, he was laser-focused on proving himself and advancing in coaching, which meant his personal life didn’t always get the attention it deserved.
There’s a better balance now.
“I wouldn’t want to relive that time off, but it was really good for them to have that,” Lauren Wade said, speaking of the 2022-23 season. “I do feel like it helped shift his priorities. … Caroline’s good for him, because she’s got a huge personality and she keeps him on his toes.”
Will Wade spoke about his wife with respect and gratitude. She not only remained committed to him through the FBI investigation, but also through everything that comes with being the spouse of a college basketball coach.
“They sacrifice a lot for us to run the program,” Will Wade said. “And, for us to run the program like we do, it takes a lot of time, unfortunately, away from them. My wife just does a phenomenal job with Caroline, our daughter, and I’m just appreciative of them.”
NC State, Boo Corrigan are ‘about second chances’
Will Wade uses the terms “blue collar” and “chip on my shoulder” to describe himself and his coaching style. He believes things are earned, not given, and he sets standards based on hard work, proven processes and organization.
His commitment to consistency, however, doesn’t hinder his ability to grow. He embraces change when necessary. It’s something that started early in his career but deepened at McNeese. Wade adjusts his game plans based on personnel and believes in creating organic team bonds — not everything is going to work with every roster.
He’s more mature now than he was five years ago, while maintaining the same expectations and core desires. His wife and assistants say the same.
“Everything’s not life or death. Every recruit is not life or death. We can move on. There’s other people,” Will Wade said earlier this year. “Everything’s not nearly as important, maybe, as I thought it was at the time. Now, don’t get me wrong, basketball and winning is very, very important, but I have a little bit, you know, I have a little bit better perspective now on where that fits in the grand scheme of things.”
Corrigan, the N.C. State athletic director, met with Will Wade in March for more than two hours. They talked about the investigation, the reflection process, character and why he should be trusted to run the program.
Between their time together and other references, Corrigan believes Wade has changed for the better and still holds the traits that made him a winning coach.
“I think we’re about second chances,” Corrigan said. “That’s what it’s about. It’s about, ‘What can we do to bring this program back on a consistent basis and win?’ That was my takeaway.”
N.C. State opens its season on Nov. 3 against N.C. Central. After months of anticipation, exclusive events and media coverage, Wolfpack supporters will finally get to see their new coach in action.
Wade doesn’t look much different than he did in those family photos from seven years ago.
His self-reflection and internal realignment — what he hopes comes across during interactions with anyone he meets — mean more than the external appearance. He can look at their photos knowing he’s a better man, one with a greater appreciation for his personal integrity. He hopes others can see it, too.
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
