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LSU fires Will Wade after receiving damaging Notice of Allegations

By Mike Phillips

TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Will Wade the head coach of the LSU Tigers in the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the quarterfinals of the 2022 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on March 11, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Will Wade the head coach of the LSU Tigers in the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the quarterfinals of the 2022 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Amalie Arena on March 11, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LSU fired head coach Will Wade just one day ahead of Selection Sunday after receiving a damning Notice of Allegations from the NCAA.

An absolute bomb has been dropped on the LSU Tigers as they get ready for a potential trip to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Will Wade was fired on Saturday after LSU received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reports.

Assistant coach Kevin Nickleberry will take over as LSU’s head coach on an interim basis, which isn’t ideal timing for the Tigers as they get ready for the NCAA Tournament.

The firing can’t be a tremendous shock, however, since Wade was allegedly caught on a wiretap offering to pay a recruit to come to LSU during the FBI’s probe into corruption in college basketball.

Wade wasn’t allowed to coach LSU in the 2019 NCAA Tournament but was allowed to retain his job after that year. Things changed dramatically for the Tigers after the NCAA delivered its Notice of Allegations nearly three years after the start of its investigation.

LSU had no choice but to fire Will Wade

LSU revealed the Notice of Allegations that shows Wade was hit with at least six Level I violations, which is the worst form of rules violation, and some of the specifics include offering to pay players to come to LSU, paying parents to influence the decision of recruits, and paying hush money to the fiance of a former student-athlete to cover up previous violations.

All of those violations make it easy for the Tigers to fire Wade with cause, which will prevent him from getting paid for the remainder of his contract. The move also could be designed to lessen future penalties against the program from the NCAA, which will almost certainly lead to vacating wins and NCAA Tournament appearances at minimum.

The immediate question for LSU is how a sudden coaching change right before the NCAA Tournament will impact the team’s ability to focus ahead of March Madness. Nickelberry has a tough task ahead of him to avoid having the Tigers’ season derailed by this sudden firing.

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