LSU's Not So Subtle Pursuit Of Will Wade Could Cap-Off Tigers' Cajun Revival, Months After Hiring Lane Kiffin

Is it all that surprising that LSU is making a run at hiring the very basketball coach it fired for Level I NCAA violations—ones that included being caught on an FBI wiretap discussing a "strong a** offer" tied to recruiting?

Of course not.

This is the same group that’s been quietly working to put the band back together in Baton Rouge, leaning on familiar faces from McNeese State—people who once oversaw Will Wade.

Over the past month, there’s been a significant push from LSU power brokers, along with a governor who publicly torched former AD Scott Woodward during a government press conference, to explore whether Wade might be ready for a return.

Through all the smoke that the former LSU coach has been peddling to local reporters following NC State's loss in the NCAA Tournament, there has been back-channel communication to gauge his interest in returning to the Bayou. 

During his one year out of college basketball, Wade clamored for any opportunities that would allow him back into the game. So, would it surprise you to know that former McNeese State President Wade Rousse, who signed off on Wade getting his public rehabilitation job, was now the President at LSU? 

Heck no, it wouldn't, because things are done differently along the Gulf Coast. There is no shame when it comes to college athletics. And that's why, most of the time, teams enthralled in this type of public perception chaos are successful. 

You do remember Governor Jeff Landry, right? The man who has installed himself as the godfather of recent LSU athletics would've taken Will Wade back last season before he took the NC State job, if not for Scott Woodward being against it. 

Well, Woodward is gone, and Landry might just become the most popular governor in college athletics history, for at least one group of fans, if LSU can pull off this re-hiring of a coach who was fired for his role in what has now become a historical reference point in college athletics. 

Could this actually happen? Well, LSU is looking to hire McNeese State athletic director Heath Schroyer, Wade's former boss, to essentially oversee basketball for the Tigers. I think you've put things together so far, which is such a wild story that it perfectly encapsulates this era of college athletics. 

And, at the same time as the Bayou group are looking to entice Wade, his $5 million buyout at NC State is hanging by a thread, given that it decreases to $3 million on April 1 per his contract. 

All the while, CURRENT LSU head coach Matt McMahon is most certainly wondering whether the deal with Wade could be settled, or does he need to work on attacking the transfer portal that opens in two weeks. 

See how crazy this sounds? Oh, and we obviously can't forget about NC State, with athletic director Boo Corrigan having discussions with Will Wade about increasing the NIL slush-fund in Raleigh. 

A Bayou Revival Would Be Something To Behold, With Kiffin And Wade

Is this a ploy by Will Wade to feel wanted just a little bit more, or is this stalling mechanism being used to ride out the final week of a buyout that decreases by $2 million? Surely we can't forget about the money owed to Matt McMahon if he were to be fired. 

So, LSU would pay the buyouts for McMahon and Wade, and then turn around to fund Will's contract along with the financial resources needed to secure a basketball team that could actually contend in the SEC next season. 

I swear, if memory serves me correct, that Governor Landry was complaining about how much money the school owed Brian Kelly when they decided to fire him. But, that's the price you pay for wanting to hit a few home runs and send a jolt of electricity through the athletic department. 

Honestly, I can't say that I blame LSU. It's maybe not the most financially-wise decision we've seen in college athletics, but the amount of PR this athletic department would get with Wade, football coach Lane Kiffin and women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey roaming the halls would be worth the price, if it all works out. 

The outside world might've thought LSU was done with the theatrics when the Kiffin smoke finally cleared just two months ago. 

Turns out, it might've been just Phase 2 of the plan to reinvigorate the Tigers. 

Let's see what LSU does over the next 24 hours, as the Sweet Sixteen gets underway, knowing the LSU brass would love nothing more than to take a little bit of that spotlight shining on college basketball and steer it toward Baton Rouge.