Who would have thought that one of college basketball’s biggest truth tellers would wind up being someone previously best known for recruiting and bribery violations? That’s exactly what’s happened with Will Wade, who has already become one of the unlikeliest faces of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Wade, the head coach of McNeese State — at least for now — caught attention even before the 12th-seeded Cowboys’ first-round upset over No. 5 Clemson by doing something rare for a college coach: openly acknowledging his interest in another job.
His admission of discussions with North Carolina State regarding the Wolfpack’s head coaching vacancy seemed like it would be a mere footnote before his team’s likely first-round exit and his predictable move to Raleigh. However, following the Cowboys’ victory over the Tigers, Wade’s job search evolved into a headline topic during an appearance on The Field of 68’s postgame stream. “We talked about it,” Wade shared with Jeff Goodman. “We were in practice when all that happened. You know how it is. You interview for a job, and then your attorneys deal with their attorneys. It’s not like I’m talking to people every day… we had talked on Saturday. We’re honest.”
McNeese HC @wwademcneese gets asked about NC State by @GoodmanHoops on @TheFieldOf68 pic.twitter.com/kNfYmGQ4vN
— Inside Pack Sports (@InsidePackSport) March 20, 2025
Indeed, we all understand the reality, even if coaches rarely admit it. While Wade won’t officially be NC State’s head coach until McNeese State’s March Madness journey is complete, reports of him having accepted the job are circulating. Why pretend otherwise? To maintain an illusion that this multi-billion dollar industry isn’t a business?
I get it; it doesn’t present the best optics — or perhaps more accurately, it’s not the image we’ve come to expect from the pre-NIL and transfer portal era. However, as Wade mentioned, he’s not the only one in the McNeese State locker room being courted by other programs. Is that ideal? Maybe not, but it’s part of the current landscape of college sports. Until that changes, mid-major programs will continue to face the challenge of their coaches and players being sought after by others.
If there’s a loser in this scenario, it’s ostensibly McNeese State, which continues to benefit financially from both its NCAA Tournament run and the exposure garnered by Wade’s unusual candor. Presumably, the athletic department was fully aware of what they were signing up for when hiring Wade, who has indicated his ambition to return to a major program. Ultimately, criticism from personalities like Charles Barkley — who has spent much of the past year openly discussing his own job status — was bound to happen and would have been more understandable before the business aspects of college sports were laid bare. However, the landscape has changed. As Wade stated, we all know what’s up.
