Clemson NCAA Tournament opponent coach Will Wade reaches agreement to take over ACC rival

The 2005 Clemson alum Will Wade is set to coach NC State next season.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Wednesday, March 19 2025

If Clemson has anything to say about it, Thursday will be the last game for Will Wade at McNeese, but it won't be the last time they see him in the coming years.

According to multiple reports, Wade, a Clemson alum and former Tigers grad assistant (2005-07), has agreed to be the next NC State head coach.

Wade has been highly successful with the Cowboys, as a two-time Southland champion.

Wade was asked if he had contact with NC State and confirmed that Wednesday in his NCAA Tournament press conference.

He ascended the college coaching tree from Chattanooga to taking over for Shaka Smart at VCU in 2015-17 to three NCAA Tournament bids at LSU in a run from 2017-22.

LSU fired Wade after NCAA violations found that extended into a 10-game suspension to start his McNeese run.

He is 243–104 all-time as a head coach with seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

NC State fired previous head coach Kevin Keatts after going from the Final Four in 2024 to not even making the ACC Tournament this March. He was with the Wolfpack from 2017-25 and went 151-113 there.

The Tigers and Cowboys meet on Thursday afternoon in Providence (3:15 p.m./TruTV).