NC State athletic director went scorched earth on Will Wade for leaving for LSU, and his comments may be of interest to Tennessee fans
Will Wade is leaving NC State after one season to return to the LSU Tigers.
The Tennessee Vols will see an old friend in the SEC in 2026-27.
In one of the craziest stories of the offseason, Will Wade is leaving NC State after one season to return to the LSU Tigers.
Wade, if you don’t remember, was fired by LSU a few years ago for multiple NCAA violations.
NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan went scorched earth on Wade on Thursday, indirectly calling the former Wolfpack coach “soft”.
“I think Philip Rivers said it… the Wolfpack ain’t for soft people,” said Corrigan Thursday according to The Wolfpacker‘s Noah Fleischman. “We’re going to go find a coach that understands who we are. … Today is going to be the end of Coach Wade. We’re going to go find a coach and then we’re going to celebrate the new coach and move forward.”
Ouch.
I don’t think Wade will be invited back to Raleigh anytime soon.
Will Wade leaving NC State could impact Tennessee
NC State needs a new head coach now that Wade is heading back to LSU. And Tennessee assistant coach Justin Gainey, who played at NC State, was named by On3 as a potential candidate.
“Sources have indicated that Justin Gainey’s name might sit at the top of the list for NC State,” reported On3’s Pete Nakos. “He’s a proven high-major assistant and is a former player and staff member at NC State. He was a top name in the coaching search a year ago when they hired Will Wade. Gainey knows what expectations are at NC State and what the fanbase wants. There would be no pause to think about accepting an offer. He’s worked under Rick Barnes and Sean Miller.”
Corrigan said that NC State is going to look for a coach who “understands” who the Wolfpack are.
Gainey, who also spent three seasons with the Wolfpack in the late 2000s as an administrative coordinator and director of operations, certainly understands what NC State is all about. He is definitely a name to keep a close eye on in this search.
We’ll see how NC State’s coaching search unfolds in the coming days/weeks.
Tennessee Volunteers News
National media outlet predicts which games the Tennessee Vols will win and lose in 2026
The Tennessee Vols will face a nine-game SEC schedule in 2026.
