Will Wade thrills LSU crowd with Lane Kiffin, NIL jokes as 2026-27 season gets set to begin
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The LSU basketball team will unofficially open its season on Thursday night with an exhibition game at McNeese. It’ll give fans their first glimpse at the squad cobbled together by second-time LSU head coach Will Wade.
Wade, of course, served as LSU’s head coach from 2017-22. But he was ousted after the NCAA served the program a notice of allegations following reported recruiting violations. And speaking to the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge on Wednesday, Wade had jokes about both elements.
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“Appreciate the introduction,” Wade began, per a video shared by Toyloy Brown III. “Left off the part where I got fired, so it was good. Appreciate that. Do appreciate that, Cindy. Thank you.”
The crowd present, largely dressed in the purple and gold of the Tigers, had a good laugh at that. But Will Wade was just getting started as he began his stump speech ahead of the season.
“A lot’s changed since the first time I was here,” Wade said. “There’s two massive changes. First off, the first big change is I’m no longer the most controversial coach on campus. I’ve been happy to kind of pass that along.”
At the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge to hear from LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade.
Starts his talk with a Lane Kiffin joke and then an NIL joke.
The Tigers play their first exhibition at McNeese State tomorrow at 6:30pm https://t.co/8CRob58jUE
— Toyloy Brown III (@TJ3rd_) October 7, 2026
The obvious reference to Lane Kiffin, who has been at the center of several national stories since taking the job at LSU, was choice. It went over well with the crowd, which is hopeful that Kiffin can continue his success in his first season in Baton Rouge.
Of course, Will Wade’s own success will also be a matter of interest to the Bayou Bengal fans. He has been highly successful as a coach at a few different stops, including LSU.
That said, the last stint at LSU didn’t particularly end well. Wade famously became one of the faces of an FBI wiretap investigation over alleged payment to players. That’s where Wade cut in with his final joke.
“The second part is, you know, we were just a little ahead of our time with NIL,” he said, waiting for a laugh. “So… Everybody says it’s Name, Image and Likeness. I say Now It’s Legal.”
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