Lane Kiffin jokes he has a 'unique view' of how Will Wade left NC State for LSU

Will Wade shocked the college basketball world last week when he made the decision to leave NC State and return to LSU just five years after he was fired due to recruiting violations.

Wade made his return to Power Four basketball this season, leading NC State to the NCAA Tournament in his lone season in Raleigh. After just one season with the program, however, he is headed back to Baton Rouge.

During a media opportunity on Tuesday, LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin claimed he has a ‘unique view’ of Wade’s departure for the job in Baton Rouge. Kiffin, much like Wade, will be heading into his first campaign with the program this upcoming season.

“Yeah, I talked to (Wade) the other day,” Kiffin said. “Obviously, he’s extremely excited about it. I did not know him personally. From what I know, which I don’t know a lot about basketball, but he’s been successful wherever he’s been. I think if you’re passionate about a place and you’re a really good coach, that’s a really good combination.”

Lane Kiffin stands behind Will Wade’s decision to depart NC State, return to LSU

“I know there’s a lot of judgment whether he should go because he just got to (NC State) and all of those things… I have a unique view of that,” Kiffin continued. “Everything is everybody’s story. They’ve got one life to live. They choose what to do and what they believe their story is after they get the best information they can from the people closest to them. Then, they make their decisions. In my opinion, it’s that person’s job to go prove that decision right.

“And so, I know people here are really excited about it. It speaks volumes about LSU because he’s someone who understands everything about LSU, understands the power of LSU, and went through a very unique situation (a breakup). To make the decision to come back says a lot about LSU.”

Much like Wade, Kiffin made an extremely controversial decision to take the LSU opening. In his sixth season at Ole Miss, Kiffin led the Rebels to an 11-1 record and their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. He, however, departed the program prior to their First Round matchup to assume the head coaching vacancy at LSU.

With the addition of Wade to the University, LSU boasts one of the strongest groups of head coaches in all of college sports. The foursome of Kiffin, Wade, women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey, and baseball head coach Jay Johnson boasts a 1,682-559 career record across four sports.