McNeese's Will Wade has reached an agreement to become the next head coach at NC State, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
McNeese, which won the Southland Conference regular season and tournament championships, is set to play in the NCAA tournament against Clemson on Thursday (TruTV, 3:15 p.m. ET).
The news is expected to be made official following McNeese's exit from the tournament. Wade acknowledged Wednesday he's had contact with the Wolfpack regarding its head coaching position.
"There's no need to hide it," Wade said. "The guys are reading it on social media. It's no secret and I'm not going to ask them to do something I'm not willing to do. It's no good if you don't address it and if you sit there and BS 'em. They know. They can read right through the BS. So you might as well just [say] 'This is what it is.'"
Wade has spent the last two seasons at McNeese, winning 57 games and going 36-2 in conference play, winning back-to-back regular season and conference tournament titles.
He spent five seasons as the head coach at LSU from 2018-22, leading the Tigers to three out of four NCAA tournaments, including the program's first SEC regular-season title in a decade in 2019. Wade went 105-51 overall at LSU
