Will Wade cracks joke in return to LSU: 'Win a national championship or first coach fired from same school twice'

Will Wade was introduced as the new head coach of LSU on Monday. Or shall we say, re-introduced as the head coach of the Tigers?

Following three years at McNeese and NC State, Wade returned to Baton Rouge to take over LSU ahead of the 2026-27 season. He coached the Tigers from 2017-22, going 105-51 before being fired amid recruiting violations.

So Wade certainly wants to make history moving forward, positive or negative. He hopes positive, but at least he can crack a joke if he makes the negative kind of history!

“Make no mistake, this is home,” Wade said. “I wasn’t born in Louisiana, but Louisiana’s home for me, and me and my family and so, you know, we’re coming back to make history. We’re gonna make history one way or the other … to try to hang a banner, win a national championship. Or I’m going to be the first coach fired from the same school twice. But one way or another, one way or another, we’re going to make history.”

There’s no doubt LSU is a hotbed of coaches right now. Lane Kiffin came over from Ole Miss football in the most talked about coaching move this offseason, well actually, it occurred prior to the College Football Playoff! Not only that, Kim Mulkey already established LSU as a major player in women’s college basketball, winning a title in 2023.

will replace Matt McMahon after spending one season as the head coach of the Wolfpack McMahon was fired on Thursday.

Wade took the Wolfpack to the First Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament in his lone season in Raleigh. His arrival came after two seasons at McNeese State, where he went 50-9 during that time and took the Cowboys to their second-ever Round of 32 appearance during his debut season in 2024-25.

Rumors swirled about whether Wade could return to LSU even though McMahon, who replaced him in 2022, was still in the role. McMahon’s future came into question during the 2025-26 season as the Tigers went 15-17 overall, including 3-15 in SEC play, to miss the NCAA Tournament again in his fourth year at the helm.

But as the noise grew, Wade was asked during the ACC Tournament about the rumors connecting him to LSU. He said his plan for NC State would take more than one season to execute, and he already held meetings with administration about what could lie ahead in 2026-27. Wade also noted McMahon was still the head coach at the time.

“No,” Wade said March 12. “Is the job open there? No? Listen, let me be very clear: I’m excited at NC State. I was hired at NC State to do a job.

“This wasn’t going to take one year. I’ve already met with our administration about next year and some of the changes that we need to make and some of the things that we need to do to put this program where it deserves long-term.”

In the time since, though, the rumors persisted. LSU then closed in on a key hire of McNeese State athletics director Heath Schroyer for a senior associate AD role, focusing on the men’s basketball program. On3’s Pete Nakos then reported a source said Wade would not return to LSU without Schroyer.

Nick Schultz contributed to this report