LSU Tigers head coach Will Wade is reportedly ‘swinging for the fences’ for a key transfer
New LSU Tigers head coach Will Wade has hit the ground running after returning to Baton Rouge following his one season in Raleigh as theh ead coach of the NC State Wolfpack.
LSU Tigers head coach Will Wade is reportedly “swinging for the fences” for a key transfer player.
On3’s Joe Tipton noted on Friday that Wade and the Tigers are in hot pursuit of Santa Clara transfer forward Allen Graves.
Graves, who is from Louisiana, is also considering entering the 2026 NBA Draft.
“Allen Graves flew under the radar for many college basketball fans while playing at Santa Clara, but turned himself into a potential first-round Draft pick,” wrote Tipton. “Sources believe the NBA is his top priority, but if he comes back to college, I would keep a close eye on LSU, as Will Wade is swinging for the fences for the Ponchatoula, Louisiana native.”
Graves, 6-foot-9/225 pounds, averaged 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a freshman at Santa Clara this past season.
Tipton noted that Duke is another team to watch for Graves.
Graves is being projected as a late first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which means it could take around $2 million to $3 million in NIL money to entice the Louisiana native to spend another season in college.
Wade made it clear when he returned to LSU that he’s on a mission to bring a national championship to Baton Rouge.
“We’re coming back 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,” said Wade said at his introductory press conference earlier this month. “One way or another, we’re going to make history.”
We’ll see if Wade can find a way to land Graves, a player who could help bring a natty to LSU.